Tamil Nadu: Massive ‘Munna Bhai’-Esque Scam Unearthed, Several Arrested In Connection With NEET Impersonation Case

Crime-Branch of the Crime Investigation Department (CB-CID) on Sunday (29 September) detained the father of another student suspected to have indulged in identity fraud to ace the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) with the aid of impostors.

Irfan’s name came under the police radar following a confession by Dr Venkatesan of Stanley Medical College who used an impostor to get his son K V Udit Surya a seat in Theni Medical College.

While Irfan, a student of Dharmapuri Medical College, is said to have escaped to Mauritius, his father Mohammed Shafi, who is a doctor, was arrested in Vaniyambadi.

Shafi who runs two private clinics – Raja hospital at Kadharpettai at Vaniyambadi and Aroor Raja hospital at Tirupattur, is said to have secured the services of an impersonator to help his son Irfan clear the NEET as he wanted him to make him a doctor like his two other sons.

Nearly 100 students had joined Dharmapuri Medical Collge this year based on NEET. However, even after commencement of classes, Irfan reportedly did not submit his documents. Instead, when he was asked to submit his certificates on 8 September, he went on medical leave and even vacated his hostel room.

Subsequently, the college sent a registered post to his residence asking him to be present in college on 30 September with NEET documents, hall-ticket and class 12 certificates. When they did not get a response, it was notified to the Directorate of Medical Examinations and to the CB-CID.

After the arrest of Udit Surya, police booked one Praveen of SRM Medical college, Rahul of Balaji Medical college and Abirami of Sai Satya Medical College. The trio was found to have got the seats based on marks scored by the impostors who appeared for the exams in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

Rahul and his father Davis have been arrested, sources said adding that Abirami and her parents are also under inquiry.

During the preliminary inquiry, it was revealed that lakhs of rupees reportedly changed hands to help aspirants join the MBBS course through illegal means.

The deans of three private medical colleges have been summoned to Theni and questioned until now in connection with the admission of first-year MBBS students into their institutions.

George Joseph, a native of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, was also arrested for arranging NEET trainers or MBBS students to write the exam on behalf of real candidates. Another Kerala based agent, Rasheed, was also arrested.