Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 30: The Crime Branch Jammu has unearthed a scam of admissions and fraudulent examinations under the garb of running Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) centre at Machhedi, Billawar in Kathua district.
An official handout said the Crime Branch received an input that one Parshant Bhandari along with his other associates was indulging in a scam of admissions and fraudulent examinations under the garb of running IGNOU centre No.12120-D allegedly established at Machhedi Billawar in the year 2014-15 having two admission sessions viz January and July and two examinations sessions viz June and December every year.
He had claimed enrolment of 800 to 1200 students in each session of the IGNOU Centre where as, about 4000 students were shown as having taken admissions through the said centre but till date no examination had been conducted by this centre.
“The students enrolled through this centre were shown as having appeared in examinations and degrees issued to them. But most of the students enrolled through this IGNOU centre had neither appeared in the examinations nor have filled/submitted their examination forms,” the handout said.
It added that the fake attendance sheets were prepared and submitted to IGNOU using fake stamps/seals. The answer sheets were prepared and fraudulent examinations held while answer sheet parcels were submitted to IGNOU using the centre codes of IGNOU Centre of Katra, Kishtwar, Chatroo and Paddar etc. In this scandal, officers/officials of IGNOU, post offices were also involved in preparing fake answer sheets at Regional Centres.
On this, a Preliminary enquiry was initiated in Crime Branch Jammu and the allegations regarding big scam of admissions through IGNOU Centre 12120-D situated at Machhedi Billawar District Kathua, prima facie established for conducting fake examination by taking thousands of rupees from each candidate and embezzlement of huge money by opening bank accounts on the name of chairman and fake coordinator by appending fake signatures of one Rajiv Sharma, embezzlement of honorarium of coordinator by introducing fake character as coordinator.
The honorarium of faculty members/counselors for conducting counseling sessions was also swindled by Parshant Bhandari son of Sehaj Ram Bhandari R/o Kishtwar, Bhopinder Gupta S/o Pannu Ram R/o Village Kohag, Tehsil Billawar, Kathua, presently putting up at Bharat Nagar, Talab Tillo, Jammu and their associates with criminal connivance of officers and officials of IGNOU and others. About 7/8 thousand candidates have been benefitted illegally through the scam.
The omissions and commissions, thereof, on the part of Parshant Bhandari, Bhopinder Gupta and their associates, with criminal connivance of the officers and officials of IGNOU and others, prima facie, constitute offences punishable U/s 419,420, 467, 468, 471,120-B RPC 5(2) PC Act.
In this regard, a case FIR No.16/2018 has been registered at Crime Branch police station, Jammu for indepth investigation against the accused persons and investigation of the case has been entrusted to SI Hilal Azhar of Crime Branch Jammu.
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