The Telangana Crime Investigation Department on Saturday arrested a 52-year-old man in connection with the leak of the question papers of the state Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test. The government on Friday night cancelled the test after a CID report confirmed that the leak, The Indian Express reported.
Shaik Raheem alias Ramesh was arrested from the outskirts of Hyderabad. Officials seized Rs 37.5 lakh from him, and a bank account in which he deposited Rs 15 lakh was frozen. Raheem reportedly took Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh from each of the 14 students, who bought three sets of EAMCET-II-2016 (medical) question papers and answers from him at a resort in Pune. Of the total Rs 1.73 crore he collected, Raheem distributed Rs 1.2 crore among other brokers and agents.
The 52-year-old is the fifth person to be arrested in connection with this case. CID officers, however, said the mastermind was Bengaluru-based RG Rajagopala Reddy, who happens to be a repeat offender, according to Mint. A senior official said 69 students had benefited from the question paper leak, as per their investigation.
First held on May 15, the state government conducted the second test on July 9, following the controversy over the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test. The Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, declared the results of EAMCET-II on July 14, but it lodged a complaint with Director General of Police Anurag Sharma after parents and students raised doubts. Sharma handed over the investigation to the CID on July 20.
EAMCET is the examination held for admissions to bachelor of medicine and surgery and bachelor of dental surgery courses in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. More than 2.5 lakh students appeared for the exam.
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