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Agra varsity answer sheet racket: More skeletons set to tumble as ED digs deeper
Several senior authorities are under investigation for allegedly changing answer sheets of MBBS and BAMS students in Agra, with more names likely to surface. The Enforcement Directorate has arrested three individuals and will interrogate them to uncover other beneficiaries involved in the racket. The investigation began after a police complaint was lodged several months ago.
Names of many other people, including some senior authorities, are likely to surface in the investigation for allegedly changing MBBS and BAMS students’ answer sheets in Agra. Senior officials of the Enforcement Directorate, Lucknow unit, pointed towards employees of the Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar University, Agra and other individuals of making money in the racket, here on Saturday.
The ED sleuths had arrested David Mario Denis, owner of the agency involved in conducting the examination, Rahul Parashar, Samajwadi Party student leader of Agra district, and Devendra Singh on Friday, during the investigation of a money-laundering case registered after a police complaint was lodged some months ago.
A senior ED official confirmed that the competent court has provided seven days custody (till July 28) of all three accused to interrogate them. He said that the interrogation will certainly bring out names of other beneficiaries involved in changing answer sheets of candidates in return for money.
The official said the names of some senior authorities who remained posted in the university in the past are also under scanner in the matter.
On June 12, the ED had conducted raids on the hideouts and premises of Rahul Prashar, Denis and employees of his company who were found involved in the offence of changing BAMS and MBBS students’ answer sheets for money. Doctored answer sheets were seized along with various other evidence against the firm, Digitext Technologies Pvt Ltd of Denis.
Denis, involved in conducting examinations at the Agra University, had lodged an FIR against Vinay Pathak, who was the officiating vice-chancellor of the university in 2014-15, and his close aide Ajay Mishra, at the Indira Nagar police station of Lucknow, on October 27, 2022. He had accused Pathak and his aides of holding him captive and torturing him for not paying them commission to clear bills worth ₹1.4 crore.
Later, the STF added sections of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988, against Pathak, who was also accused of demanding bribes during his tenure as the V-C of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Agra.
In the matter, the Central Bureau of Investigation had registered an FIR on January 7, 2023, at its New Delhi office after the Yogi Adityanath government recommended to the Centre a CBI probe against Prof Pathak. According to the FIR, offences were committed in Lucknow, Agra, Kanpur and other places.
