DGHS now faces admission exam question leak allegation

Amid the widespread criticism and controversy related to coronavirus testing scams, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) now faces allegations of leaking questions papers of medical college and university admission tests.

"Admission test question papers of medical colleges and universities have been leaking from the health directorate press every year. Several influential officials of the DGHS are involved in the question leaking," said Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police.

The CID held a press briefing Thursday after they had arrested four members of a question-leaking gang that had reportedly been selling admission question papers for the last five years.

The arrestees are – the kingpin of the gang Jasim Uddin Bhuiyan Munna, Parvez Khan, Jakir Hossain Dipu and Samiul Zafar.

The CID recovered 39 bank cheques for Tk2.65 crore, savings certificates wroth Tk2.27 crore, 14 mobile phone sets, three cars, and Tk50 crore cash from their possession. 

"Press machine man operator at the heath directorate Abdus Salam and his cousin Jasim Uddin formed a nationwide racket which now has 50 active members," said Sumon Kumar Das, additional superintendent of police, at the press briefing at the CID headquarters in Dhaka. 

The health directorate press has been printing admission exam question papers for medical and dental colleges since 1988. The CID said the question papers were leaked from the press time and again.

Sumon Kumar Das said, "Taking huge amount, the syndicate helped hundreds of students to get admitted at the medical colleges. Medical colleges and public university admissions are kind of a dream to the students."

He added, "Taking the illegal help from the racket, many less meritorious affluent students got admitted to various medical colleges. The gang shattered so many dreams of the talented students."

Apart from admission question, the press also prints health awareness leaflets.

In the meantime, Shah Alam, deputy inspector general of CID, told reporters that they had already filed case under Digital Security Act. Another case under money laundering act might be filed after the investigation as CID was collecting the details about properties of the racket.

Later, a Dhaka court placed all the arrestees on a seven-day remand. 

In 2017, CID initiated an investigation about Dhaka University admission test question paper leak. After completing the investigation, CID submitted the charge-sheet against 125 people.  

Among the47 members arrested in the case, 46 accused confessed before the court about their involvement in admission question paper leak. Some clues of the investigation helped CID to make the latest arrests.