Doctors' racket behind medical admission test question leaks: CID

A racket of 12 individuals including seven physicians has leaked medical college admission test question papers 10 times in the last 16 years, pocketing hundreds of crores of taka, said the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Police.

"Providing test questions and using illegal channels in exchange for money, the racket helped thousands of students to get admissions into several medical colleges from 2001 and 2017," said Additional Inspector General of Police and CID chief Mohammad Ali Miah at a media briefing in CID office on Sunday, following the arrests of 12 people, allegedly involved in the leakages.

They were arrested in separate drives conducted in Dhaka, Tangail, Kishoreganj and Barishal between 30 July and 9 August, said the CID chief.
The arrestees are Dr Moiz Uddin Ahmed Pradhan, 50, Dr Soheli Zaman, 40, Dr Mohammad Abu Raihan, Dr ZM Saleheen Shovon, 48, Dr Md Zobaidur Rahman Johnny, 38, Dr Zillur Hasan Roni, 37, Dr Imrul Kayes Himel, 32, and Zahirul Islam Bhuiyan Muktar, 68, Roshan Ali Himu, 45, Akhtaruzzaman Tushar, 43, Zahir Uddin Ahmed Bappi, 45 and Abdul Quddus Sarkar, 63.

Eight of the arrested persons made confessional statements before the court while Moiz Uddin and Zobaidur are on four-day remand each in CID custody and Moiz's wife Soheli is on two-day remand. 

Among those arrested, five were associated with the politics of BNP and one with the Jamaat-e-Islami, Mohammad Ali said, adding that the question papers were leaked from the press of the Directorate General of Medical Education.

CID Additional Police Superintendent Jewel Chakma said medical admission test question papers were leaked massively in 2006 and 2015. About 10 coaching centres, mostly in Dhaka, had been involved in these leakages.

Medical coaching centres, including Medico, Omeca, Primate, Fame, 3 Doctors, E Haque and Universal Coaching, were found to be involved with this racket, the CID official said.
He said raids were conducted while investigating a case filed with Mirpur Police Station under the Digital Security Act in July 2020, over medical question paper leaks.

CID has so far arrested 23 suspects in the case and 14 of them made confessional statements before the court, CID official Jewel said.

Directorate General of Medical Education's press staff Abdus Salam and his cousin Jasim Uddin had formed the question leak racket, involving several doctors and medical admission coaching centre officials, said CID chief Mohammad Ali.

Jashim and Salam were arrested in July and October 2020, respectively. After interrogating them, CID identified the recently arrested racket members, he said.

CID investigators accumulated evidence that showed that medical and dental admission question papers were leaked from a press on the ground floor of the DGHS building at Mohakhali, he said.

After the arrest of Jashim, savings certificates worth Tk21.27 crore in 38 accounts of Jasim and his wife's bank savings worth around Tk 4 crore were found, according to the CID investigation.

CID has found evidence of transaction data of crores of taka from their bank accounts, and the matter is currently under investigation for potential money laundering, the CID chief added.