MU answersheet tampering scam: Search on for 4th accused

A day after three persons, including two peons and a student, were arrested for tampering with Mumbai University students’ answersheets, Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) police are on the lookout for a third peon who was allegedly helping the accused trio to conduct malpractice within the Kalina campus. Police also suspects many more people are involved in the case, including senior varsity officials and investigations are underway.

Sources said on October 8, after the Allowed-To-Keep-Terms (ATKT) examination, Sayyed Nizammudin, 22, had paid the two peons, Sangamesh Kamble and Sandeep Palkar, to tamper with the answersheets. While appearing for an MSc ATKT exam on October 8, Nizamuddin had submitted a blank answersheet. According to police, Kamble and Palkar snuck Nizamuddin’s answer sheet from the registrar’s office and handed it to him. After he had filled out his answersheet, he returned it to the peons, who put it back in the locker. Unfortunately for the trio, the whole incident was captured on the CCTV camera in the area and a head of department too happened to view the proceedings on CCTV. Hours later, he approached the BKC police station and registered an FIR.

After registering the case, police scrutinised the CCTV footage, which showed the three accused loitering in the room after college hours. Interrogation of the peons led to their confessing to the crime. However, further investigation revealed there was a third peon involved with the accused trio, who had failed to report for duty after the incident.

Kalpana Gadekar, senior inspector of BKC police station said, “The role of the fourth accused was established during the probe. A team was sent to nab him from his Kalyan house. The fourth accused, suspected to be on the run, was the alleged link between the students and the peons for the answersheet tampering racket."

Meanwhile, MU has set up a panel to conduct an internal inquiry and decide on further action.