The mastermind of the Medical & Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) scandal in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been arrested along with his brother, sources said.
The joint investigation team over the scandal has sent a report to the chief secretary of the province, which revealed that employees of different government organisations were also part of the network, they said.
The MDCAT results came under heavy scrutiny after officials of the Higher Education Commission in KP busted a cheating scheme involving cutting-edge technology as the officials apprehended dozens of students attempting to use covert Bluetooth devices for cheating on September 10.
The suspect, identified as Zafar Mahmood, and his brother were arrested by the law enforcement agencies after the astounding MDCAT results faced severe criticism from people.
According to sources, Mahmood was leading the network from KP’s Karak district and has been involved in helping aspirants cheat in the previous MDCAT tests.
Read: What is MDCAT and why there are two versions
The aspirants were charged between Rs2 million to Rs3.5 million for providing the tools and help to cheat the examination.
The network was charging Rs3.5 million for helping to secure 190 marks in the MDCAT, Rs2.5 for 180 marks, and Rs2 million for 170 marks. Other than the main headquarters in Karak, the suspects had set up networks on the divisional level.
The Bluetooth device has been used in the previous MDCAT examinations. The device is available at Rs35,000 in Pakistan. According to officials, the Bluetooth device had two to three parts. One of them appeared to be in the shape of a pen or a card.
The device also had a charging port due to which the device can work for up to eight hours. The earplug is hidden inside the ear which is used to communicate with the person outside the hall for cheating.
On September 21, The Peshawar High Court barred the medical colleges from uploading results of the recent MDCAT on their official websites until the findings of a joint investigation team were received.
As many as 78 writ petitions have been filed in the high court, seeking cancellation of the medical test exam, and conducting the test from any other agency than the Educational Testing and Evaluation Authority (ETEA).
