Jalandhar, June 29
The multi-crore scandal concerning admissions to top medical colleges in the state has come to light once again with the claims of a local education centre in getting top rank assured in the PMET to be re-conducted tomorrow by Guru Nanak Dev University.

The Tribune team unearthed one such racket of a so-called education centre in Defence Colony here today. The centre owners, in a changed strategy, were not providing any question papers even as they were charging hefty amounts in lieu of an assurance to get a candidate ranked among the top 100 in the test.

The centre owners have been openly giving classified advertisements about the same in some vernacular newspapers for the past few days. On being contacted over the phone or personally, they give assurance claiming that they have contacts at the higher level in the Punjab Medical Education and Research Department.

The charges have been fixed differently for the reserved and general category candidates. While those from the reserved category are being asked to pay an amount of Rs 15 lakh, those from the general category are told to pay somewhere around Rs 20 lakh, though it is somewhat negotiable. Those depositing money earlier will have a higher rank and confirmed result, claim the agents.

This correspondent, posing as an elder sister of a candidate, went to the centre this afternoon. Two young women and an elderly man were working in the office set up in the ground floor of a house. On initiating the conversation, a woman began revealing her modus operandi without even the slightest of reluctance. “Give us three passport size photographs of the candidate and a copy of the roll number slip by the evening, we can give you 99 per cent guarantee of getting a rank in two digits,” she said.

While this correspondent tried to negotiate, she said she should at least be paid Rs 5 lakh by 7 pm and the rest could be paid in two day’s time as the result was likely to be declared on July 1. “Pay Rs 5 lakh today, another 5 lakh tomorrow and the rest after you see the result,” she said.

The woman repeatedly emphasised that quick payment was a must to avail the chance that will be lost if it gets delayed till tomorrow. The trio seemed to be working in a hired, makeshift office for obvious reasons.