Just three days before the medical college entrance test in 2015, Rab said it arrested the ringleader and three members of the gang that leaked the questions.
But the gang still managed to leak the question papers ahead of the test on September 18, although its leader Jasim Uddin Bhuiyan Munnu was behind bars.
Although the news of the leak triggered widespread protests, the result was published after two days. In an attempt to deflect the allegations, an official of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said the medical college admission seekers did well in the test because they studied better. The then health minister Mohammed Nasim said the questions were not leaked.
Notwithstanding this, statements issued at different times by law enforcement agencies indicate that the same group of people have repeatedly leaked question sheets of medical college admission tests between 2013 and 2018.
Jasim Uddin Bhuiyan Munnu, the ringleader arrested in 2015, was also arrested in 2011 along with his 20 cohorts while attempting to leak the question sheers.
The other members of the gang who were arrested by Rab in 2015, are: ZMA Salehin Shovon, a doctor of a Noakhali Hospital; S M Sanowar Hossain, a teacher of E-Haque Coaching Centre; and Aktharuzzaman Khan Tushar, the managing director of Laili- Abed Construction Company.
They used to target coaching centre students and promised them of admission to any medical college they like.
The question sheet was handed to them the day before the test.
They took as much as Tk 12 lakh from an admission seeker.
The latest case, filed by the CID last week against the suspects, the gang leaked the medical and dental college admission quizzes for years.
“It is the same gang leaking medical admission question papers for years. They couldn’t do it In the last two years. Now we will eradicate the root of the racket,” Kamrul Ahsan, additional special superintendent of the Criminal Investigation Department’s cyber police department, who is investigating the case, told The Daily Star yesterday.
FROM 2013-18: HOW THEY DID IT
CID Official Kamrul said ringleader Jasim, who is now in custody, formed the gang with his family members.
His wife Sharmin Ara Jesmin Shilpi, brother-in-laws Zakir Hossain Dipu and Alamgir Hossain, nephews Parvez Khan and Sami Ul Zafar Situ, and cousin Abdus Salam Khan, are key suspects.
Salam used to be a machine operator at a facility where the Bureau of Health Education of the DGHS printed the questions.
During the printing, Salam managed to hand his cousin Jasim a copy of the sheets, officials said.
In 2013, the night before the exams, Jasim got hold of the sheet and gave it to Sanowar at Proshika More in the capital’s Mirpur. Sanowar took a photo of the sheet and sent it to other suspects Rawshan Ali Himu, Almas and Sazzad using messaging apps.
Many admission seekers who received the leaked question sheet got admitted to the medical colleges, CID case statement said.
The other gang members are: Dr Shovon, Tusher, Rashed Khan and their accomplices.
In 2014, suspects Parvez Khan and a doctor from the capital’s East Rajabazar Moyez Uddin Ahmed Pradhan gave leaked question papers to 40-50 students.
After Rab arrested Jasim in 2015, the other members of the racket collected the admission seeker’s national ID cards, copies of their registration cards, phone numbers and the cash and gave those to Jasim’s wife Sharmin and his nephew Zafar at Jasim’s home, Prithi Villa, in Mirpur.
Sharmin with the help of Salam then called the admission seeker’s parents the night before the exam and gave them the leaked questions.
Those students later got admitted to Khulna Medical College, Barisal Medical College, Sylhet Osmani Medical College and Ibrahim Cardiac Medical College.
Freed from jail in 2016, Jasim and other members of the racket resumed the job.
In September 2017, another gang member Mohaiminul Islam Badhan and with thelp of his father Biddyut Ali leaked the question paper of a medical college that admits students through separate tests, the case statement said.
In the morning of September 20, Jasim and the gang sent those question papers to the admission seekers, it added.
Badhan and Sanowar were accused in another case with Shahbagh Police Station in 2018 over their involvement in leaking Dhaka University admission test questions.
According to officials, printing press employee Salam had blessings from a “DGHS syndicate”. Police are looking for Salam.
In primary interrogation, the CID found at least 50 people in the racket.
CID official Kamrul Ahsan suspects that at least 700-800 admission seekers got admitted through this racket over the years.
Ringleader Jasim alone has assets worth at least Tk 50 crore, including two six-storey buildings in Mirpur. The CID so far recovered 78 bank cheques, many of which are from 2015. Investigators are now looking into the assets of the other suspects.
The latest case also accuses 150-200 unidentified people and 14 people who were also accused with Mirpur Police Station over the leak of medical admission test question papers over the years.
CID officials said they are working to identify the admission seekers who benefitted from the leaks.