60% of students in Anna varsity’s marks-for-money scam are NRIs
Fraud Came To Light After Anonymous Complaints
Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com
Chennai:29.05.2019
The latest marksfor-money scam at Anna University was unearthed after the authorities were alerted by anonymous complaints that students who had arrears of more than 20 papers had cleared them at one go.
The university on Tuesday suspended four professors — former additional controller of examinations (ACOE) S.Srinivasalu, and deputy controllers of examinations K. Selvamani, from the department of computer science, K.Kulothungan, from the department of information science and technology, and Pugazhendi Sugumaran C, from the electrical and electronics engineering department — for their role in the scam.
This follows an inquiry by a three-member committee headed by professor A Ramachandran from Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation Research that was set up to investigate the claims made in these anonymous petitions. To their shock, the committee members found that a NRI student had cleared 25 arrear papers at one go in April 2017 semester exams. In fact, more than 60% of students who got marks for money were non-resident Indians, the inquiry found.
The probe panel found discrepancies in more than 500 answer scripts of the April and November 2017 exams — the handwritings on the first page and the answer scripts did not match, the colour of tear-off slips did not match, etc..
“The answer scripts have been manipulated it all possible manner. When the committee expanded the scope of the inquiry to other suspicious cases in which students cleared many papers in one or two attempts, they found that the same pattern existed in all those papers,” an inquiry committee member told TOI.
“During the preliminary enquiry, the committee found malpractices in more than 500 answer scripts. The scam could have happened for many years. But, the answer scripts before April 2017 were disposed of by the officials involved in the scam,” he added.
After unearthing the extent of the scam, the university appointed a nine-member committee to assist the inquiry. After a detailed process, it recommended suspension of the four professors, sources said.
Some professors said there were instances of faculty members being approached to fail NRI candidates so that the scamsters could target them.
The amount was exchanged in dollars and officials from the centre for international affairs should also be probed, said some professors.
One senior professor said that due to the corrupt administration provided by one of the previous vice-chancellors, middlemen took control of the university and corrupted all the systems. “The university needs more such actions to restore normalcy,” he said.
Fraud Came To Light After Anonymous Complaints
Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com
Chennai:29.05.2019
The latest marksfor-money scam at Anna University was unearthed after the authorities were alerted by anonymous complaints that students who had arrears of more than 20 papers had cleared them at one go.
The university on Tuesday suspended four professors — former additional controller of examinations (ACOE) S.Srinivasalu, and deputy controllers of examinations K. Selvamani, from the department of computer science, K.Kulothungan, from the department of information science and technology, and Pugazhendi Sugumaran C, from the electrical and electronics engineering department — for their role in the scam.
This follows an inquiry by a three-member committee headed by professor A Ramachandran from Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation Research that was set up to investigate the claims made in these anonymous petitions. To their shock, the committee members found that a NRI student had cleared 25 arrear papers at one go in April 2017 semester exams. In fact, more than 60% of students who got marks for money were non-resident Indians, the inquiry found.
The probe panel found discrepancies in more than 500 answer scripts of the April and November 2017 exams — the handwritings on the first page and the answer scripts did not match, the colour of tear-off slips did not match, etc..
“The answer scripts have been manipulated it all possible manner. When the committee expanded the scope of the inquiry to other suspicious cases in which students cleared many papers in one or two attempts, they found that the same pattern existed in all those papers,” an inquiry committee member told TOI.
“During the preliminary enquiry, the committee found malpractices in more than 500 answer scripts. The scam could have happened for many years. But, the answer scripts before April 2017 were disposed of by the officials involved in the scam,” he added.
After unearthing the extent of the scam, the university appointed a nine-member committee to assist the inquiry. After a detailed process, it recommended suspension of the four professors, sources said.
Some professors said there were instances of faculty members being approached to fail NRI candidates so that the scamsters could target them.
The amount was exchanged in dollars and officials from the centre for international affairs should also be probed, said some professors.
One senior professor said that due to the corrupt administration provided by one of the previous vice-chancellors, middlemen took control of the university and corrupted all the systems. “The university needs more such actions to restore normalcy,” he said.
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