Patna, June 15: The chairman and managing director of Katihar Medical College has been arrested today for selling question papers a day before thousands of students were to sit for the MBBS entrance test for his institute.
Ahmad Ashfaque Karim (53) — who floated the Al-Karim Educational Trust that managed the medical college set up in 1987 — was picked up from his Ashiana-Digha Road residence after a police team found a little over Rs 2 crore.
This is the biggest seizure of cash from the city in the recent past. Eight persons, including two girls, have also been detained for interrogation. The police seized question papers of medial entrance examination, bundles of marksheets and a licensed revolver from the two-storeyed building. The MBBS entrance examination was to be held at J.D. Women’s College here tomorrow.
One Rajendra Yadav, a resident of Samastipur, was detained when he along with his son Kumar Shanu visited Karim’s house carrying a bag containing Rs 10 lakh in cash.
Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaj said acting on a tip-off, a special police team led by City SP Jayant Kant conducted a raid at Karim’s Shastrinagar house and took nine persons, including Karim, into custody for their involvement in the alleged examination racket.
Maharaj — who Karim also threatened with dire consequences for raiding his house — said question papers of the Sunday’s entrance examination were found open. “It is believed that Karim used to provide question papers to the candidates before the examination in exchange of a hefty cash,” he said.
Sources said the police were tipped off about the racket in which MBBS aspirants were charged anything between Rs 40 lakh and Rs 50 lakh for admission to Karim’s two medical colleges in Katihar and Kishanganj. Karim’s office at Samanpura in Patna would be searched later, Maharaj said. He added that the bundles of notes were stashed beneath beds in different rooms. A currency-counting machine was also found in the house. Karim’s two medical colleges are affiliated to Bhupendra Narayan Mandal University, Madhepura, he added.
Karim had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly elections from Katihar in 2010 on a Lok Janshakti Party ticket.
