A 21-year-old youth who had appeared in the counselling of successful JEE candidates on Friday was arrested for allegedly fielding a dummy in the test.

Sarvesh Kumar — the JEE board identified the arrested youth by that name — however told police that he had appeared in the counselling on behalf of his brother, who had cracked the JEE but could not turn up because of illness. He also claimed his name was Rajesh Kumar and that Sarvesh was his brother.

Sarvesh Kumar, a resident of Patna, has ranked 803 (medical) on the JEE merit list.

Officials of the state JEE board, who were conducting the counselling at the Salt Lake stadium, said they had alerted the police after finding out that his photograph was not matching the one in their database. “We think the person who had appeared for counselling today had fielded a dummy candidate in the written examination,” said Utpal Kumar Dutta, a member of the board.

An officer of Bidhannagar (South) police station, however, said: “The youth told us that he was Rajesh Kumar, brother of Sarvesh. He claimed he had come to the counselling centre as Sarvesh was indisposed and that he had produced a proper authorisation letter from his brother.”

A senior JEE board official said a candidate could not authorise anybody to appear on his/her behalf for counselling.

More than 20 people were arrested in 2007 in connection with dummy candidates writing the JEE.