Mysuru CCB Police nab accused in Bengaluru; spread dragnet to nab one more mastermind

Mysore/Mysuru: The kingpin of the fake answer script racket of B.Sc Chemistry question paper (2020-21) being run under the very nose of the University of Mysore (UoM) has been arrested in Bengaluru by the Mysuru City Crime Branch (CCB) Police.

The racket was being run from a lodge in the city to enable certain failed students to clear backlog Chemistry papers. It is the same racket that was exposed and subsequently allegedly hushed up by the Mandi Police for which Inspector Narayanaswamy and two Constables have been suspended, pending inquiry. 

CCB sources told Star of Mysore this morning that the prime accused Mohammad Nissar was arrested from his hideout in Bengaluru and he was evading arrest till now. Lockdown restrictions helped him to not come under the Police radar. 

Nissar is the Second Division Assistant at Maharani’s Science College — an examination centre of the University — and he had taken away the keys of the shelves where the answer scripts are stored. He has been produced before the Magistrate and has been handed over to 4-day CCB custody for interrogation.

Three arrested so far

With his arrest, the number of persons arrested in the racket has gone up to three. Another mastermind in the racket is Rakesh, who is the coordinator of META-I firm from Bengaluru that had got the outsourced contract of conducting the University examinations. Rakesh is still absconding and the Police have spread a dragnet to nab him. 

Mohammad Nissar was assigned the responsibility of conducting the Varsity examinations at the Maharani’s College and he had the access to the safe locker where the answer scripts are stored. Chethan and Chandan, who are in judicial custody now, had not cleared their backlog B.Sc Chemistry papers since the last two years and as their re-examination centre was Maharani’s College, they had approached Nissar for help. 

Access to shelves

The modus operandi is to take blank answer scripts of absentee students and re-purpose the same with answer scripts that were written in the names of Chandan and Chethan. The papers were written at the lodge on Bengaluru-Nilgiri Road. As Nissar had access to the shelves, he used to conveniently replace the answer scripts (written in the exam centre) with freshly written ones, the Police said.

This was done in connivance with META-I firm’s Rakesh. As per procedure, all the answer scripts must be handed over to the University custody along with the blank answer scripts of absentee students. Nissar manipulated this as he knew the loopholes or he might have links with certain authorities of the University in not reporting the actual answer scripts and the blank ones, suspect the Police. 

Widened probe

The Police are probing the role of certain influential individuals from the University, Maharani’s Science College and META-I firm who are allegedly involved in the racket and are hand-in-glove with the accused and students. The answer scripts in this case have reached the racketeers instead of reaching the strong room of the University. This would not be possible without the involvement of the Varsity employees, reason the Police.

The CCB Police are probing all angles into the racket and Mohammad Nissar’s arrest is vital for the investigation. Even the role of suspended Mandi Policemen are being probed whether it is a dereliction of duty or have the Police committed a criminal act to hush up the case. 

Meanwhile, the bail hearing of Inspector Narayanaswamy and two other cops is coming up before a Court today.