A team of Punjab Police on Friday arrested Manikant Anand, an MBBS final year student of Institute of Medical Science, Banaras Hindu University, for appearing in Punjab Pre-Medical Test in place of a Bhatinda-based aspirant, Keshav Kumar, in June, 2008.
According to ASI Baldeo Singh, the leader of the Punjab police team, on the directive of Punjab high court, a drive had been launched to detect candidates who arranged for large number `Munna Bhais' with the help of mediators to qualify PPMT. SSP Roopnagar (Punjab) KL Yadav is heading the drive. During the screening of forms of PPMT, a large number of such candidates were detected after which, centre-wise FIRs were lodged in different districts of Punjab. During the same exercise, Keshav Kumar was also arrested.
During initial investigation, Keshav confessed he paid Rs 12 lakh to a mediator Sanjiv Kumar of Patna to arrange for a `Munna Bhai' for him who could qualify the PPMT. Sanjiv contacted Manikant, a Samastipur (Bihar)-based youth who was in MBBS final year at IMS-BHU. Manikant appeared in PPMT on June 22, 2008 in place of Keshav, though he could not get the admission. On getting clue, the Punjab police reached IMS-BHU and contacted director Prof Gajendra Singh. Later, Manikant was handed over to the police through varsity's proctorial board. The Punjab police team would take him to Punjab on remand after producing him before the CJM court on Saturday.
Meanwhile, director, IMS-BHU, Prof Gajendra Singh made it clear that the university administration would decide the course of action against Manikant after the Punjab police submitted their report that he was the same candidate would had appeared in place of another candidate.
