Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 28 Oct: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Dehradun Police has arrested three more persons in connection with the alleged use of forged documents to secure MBBS admissions under the freedom fighters’ dependant quota. With the latest arrests, the total number of accused held in the case has now risen to eight. The investigation pertains to FIRs registered at Raipur and Clement Town police stations regarding online applications submitted on a government portal for obtaining Freedom Fighter Dependant certificates on the basis of allegedly forged documents.
The SIT, constituted on the directions of the SSP Dehradun and headed by SP Rural-1 Jaya Baluni, has been investigating the case since past one month. During the probe, documents submitted by several candidates have been allegedly found to be forged, prompting a detailed inquiry into the admission process and the role of those involved.
The newly arrested accused have been identified as Praveen Kumar, a resident of Budhana in Muzaffarnagar, Jagpal Singh of Laksar in Haridwar, and Rampal Singh of Kiratpur in Bijnor. According to the SIT, Praveen Kumar and Jagpal Singh admitted during questioning that they had approached previously arrested education consultant Rupesh Pandit for securing MBBS admissions for their daughters. Police said Rupesh operated a company named MECODO Pathshala in Meerut and was allegedly involved in facilitating admissions to private universities and foreign educational institutions on commission.
The officials allege that forged Aadhaar cards, domicile certificates and Freedom Fighter Dependant certificates were prepared for the daughters of the two accused. Based on these documents, Praveen Kumar’s daughter Khushi allegedly secured admission to a medical college, while Jagpal Singh’s daughter, Swati, participated in the NEET counselling process. According to the police, Praveen Kumar paid Rs 25 lakh and Jagpal Singh paid Rs 30 lakh to Rupesh Pandit for obtaining the forged certificates, taking the alleged transaction value in the two cases to Rs 55 lakh.
The SIT further alleged that Rampal Singh, along with his acquaintance Vishal Kumar, arranged forged domicile, Aadhaar and Freedom Fighter Dependant certificates for his daughter, Tripti. Police claim that the documents were subsequently used to secure her admission to GMC Medical College in Haridwar.
During the investigation, the SIT verified the addresses mentioned in the candidates’ documents and found several of them to be incorrect. The team then obtained admission-related records from the concerned educational institutions, which reportedly revealed the candidates’ actual addresses and provided crucial evidence. Based on the material collected, the three accused were called for questioning and subsequently arrested.
Police stated that the investigation is continuing and the possible role of other persons connected to the alleged admission racket is also being examined. They added that further action will be taken on the basis of evidence emerging during the probe.
