Daijiworld Media Network - Shivamogga (SP)
Shivamogga, Sep 28: District superintendent of police, Abhinav Khare, said that a scandal of issuing marks cards in exchange for about Rs 15,000 each has been unearthed. He added that a letter written by the passport office at Mangaluru about a marks card they believed was fake, had triggered an investigation lasting for about three months, at the end of which the scandal stands exposed.
A tailor from Sorab in the district, identified as Tauseef Pasha, had applied for passport as he wanted to work in the Gulf. The passport office at Mangaluru had rejected his application, stating that the minimum qualification required was tenth standard, not seventh standard, marks card relating to which was enclosed to his application. After he approached a local government school teacher for assistance, the teacher is said to have provided him with a SSLC pass certificate issued in the name of Maharashtra Secondary Examination Board. The marks card showed that Tauseef had passed SSLC examination in first class. For procuring this certificate, the teacher reportedly charged Rs 15,000.
When the passport office received a fresh application from Tauseef, they matched it with the earlier papers submitted by him and sent the same to district police here for reality check. The police questioned Tauseef. Through him they reached the teacher, Hanumanthappa, who revealed modus operandi of the scandal.
Allegedly, fake marks cards which look like original are issued for SSLC and PU classes in the name of Maharashtra Secondary Examination Board.
The police during their investigation, visited various cities including Pune, Bengaluru and Hubballi and several other centres in districts located in north Karnataka. Eight persons have been arrested. It is said that three young men, who are the main operators of this scandal, are well-educated and have built a well-knit network with some educational institutions offering distance education packages. As per the police, Praveen Patil (30) from Hubballi with help from his relatives, Vishal Dinkar and Vivek Dinkar, was operating the scandal. All of them are around 30 years of age, and rank holders in post-graduation. In addition to the trio, Tauseef, and Hanumanthappa, the police arrested three people from Bengaluru, whose names have been given as R Gopalakrihna, Sagar, and Ravikumar. These persons were collecting about Rs 15,000 for the marks cards.
As per information, nine institutions imparting distance education courses have been identified to have been hand in glove in this scandal. Their names are MRK Rathod Education Trust from Muddebihal, SLV Distance Education Trust and Kalpravriksha Education Trust from Hesaraghatta Bengaluru, Shrishaila Mallikarjuna Education Trust from Ballari, Elite Academy, Grotech Education Trust and Om Sai Distance Education Trust, all three from Bengaluru, as well as Nandini Computer Education Centre in Humnabad. All of them are now facing cases.