There were four influential families, allegedly, involved in 2010 CET scam and hence the matter was hushed up under the political pressure.
The Crime Branch in June last year caught hold of the ten students including the eight girls allegedly involved in the CET paper leak scam in 2010. After the much hyped CET scam of the year 2012 came to fore, the Crime Branch got vital inputs about the similar mess at BOPEE during the year 2010. The students report- edly involved in the paper leak racket were from south Kashmir’s Anantnag, Kulgam and Shopian areas. The preliminary investigation report under number 7/2014 was registered by the Crime Branch and investigations were taken up. The CB had received the inputs about CET 2010 being manipulated but the matter was hushed up due to political and bureaucratic pressure. Soon after the CET 2012 scam sur- faced, the CB officials opened up the files of 2010 again but it was the domination of the political class in the state that prevailed and the case again was put under the carpet.
Reports maintained that the ten students who are at present are in 3rd year of the MBBS training at various medical colleges of the state were called for the questioning along with their parents. The CB had also received the bank details along with the past transactions of the parents of those ten stu- dents. Also the broker namely Farooq Itoo who later became approver, was reportedly involved in the CET 2010 paper leak as well. The Crime Branch officials got leads from Itoo for the fur- ther course of action. However, sourc- es revealed that Itoo was reluctant to cooperate with the CB officials as he complained of the ill treatment being met to him by the government even after turning an approver. Sources in the CB said that after the revelations made by the broker Sajjad Husain Wani about the involvement of four families of Srinagar in the CET scam 2012; police raided the houses of two among the four families and seized the vital documents pertaining to the case. Sources also confirmed that all the four students of these families are girls and had appeared in the CET 2012 after purchasing the question papers ahead of the examinations.
The BOPEE paper leakage of 2010 similar to that of 2012 was unearthed by the Crime Branch here in June last year but the involvement of some influential families have led to the investigating agency suspending the further investigations and the case file is gathering dust in the CB office here.
It was also informed by the senior officials of the CB that the department has detained two students for the questioning and further leads in the case have been acquired from them. It was learnt that the students could have informed their other friends about the questions via cell phone. The police have applied to access the phone records of the students. Also the bank transactions of the families are being monitored in the near future so that a clear contact between them and the broker Sajjad Hussain Wani could be established. Sources said that all the four families are from the royal background and have spent hefty amounts in pur- chasing the CET question papers for their children.
The Crime Branch is expected to intimate the government to cancel the admissions of these students. There were four major political families, allegedly, involved in 2010 CET scam and hence the matter was hushed up under the political pres- sure. Sources added that had these families been caught, it would have unveiled scores of other serious crimes committed under the political patron- age and would have unmasked several big wigs. After the change of guard in the state, it is being hoped by several officials that the new dispensation would take concrete measures to book the culprits.
