Date:21/07/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/07/21/stories/2005072106380301.htm

New Delhi

CBI files case against former DCE student

Staff Reporter

Helped 21 candidates in entrance exam through fraudulent means

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case against a former student of Delhi College of Engineering (DCE) who allegedly helped 21 candidates clear the entrance examinations to the College this year through fraudulent means. All the "successful" candidates and some unidentified officials of DCE have also been named in the case.

The CBI said the case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act last week. Earlier, a complaint was lodged by the Registrar, Delhi University, after it was found that some of the successful candidates had cleared the Combined Entrance Examination (CEE) through fraudulent means.

As per the complaint, five, three, two and 11 candidates -- who had shared the 13th, 25th, 36th and 56th ranks respectively -- had obtained exactly the same marks in physics and mathematics and chemistry.

A scrutiny of the answer sheets of these candidates had also revealed that they had noted down the answer keys to the question papers in the space provided for rough work. The answers in the examinations are marked by encircling the correct option with a pencil. Some candidates had also tried to erase the answer keys but had not succeeded. The investigative agency questioned the candidates who had got the same marks and also some other officials in this connection. It turned out that a former student of the DCE had contacted these aspirants and offered them help to clear the examination at the rate of Rs. 4 lakhs per student.

Those who paid up were taken to a house at Rohini in North-West Delhi where the main accused gave them mobile SIM cards. The candidates were asked to activate the SIM only on the examination date and destroy them after the tests. They were also asked to furnish the address of their examination centres in advance.

The former student told the aspirants that they would be provided with the answer keys to the questions only after an hour of the commencement of examinations.