NEET impersonation: Fingerprints of medicos to be obtained

Tiruchirappalli: With NEET impersonation scam rocking Tamil Nadu, the state government has ordered getting fingerprints of first year students of government and private colleges as the imprint would help detect with accuracy any fraud or impersonation.

According to the government medical college officials here, the DME sent the circular to the government and private medical colleges separately asking their deans to get the prints of three fingers of the students.

The fingerprints would be used for forensic examination to find out the genuineness of the students and the fingerprints should be captured at the dean's office.

The work of scanning the fingerprints and sending them to DME would be completed in five days. The work began on Tuesday.

Fingerprints would help to detect with accuracy any fraud or impersonation, the officials said.

The impersonation scam surfaced after the Theni Government Medical College got e-mails alleging one of its students had obtained admission by using a proxy candidate to write the exam. Then, the dean of the institution filed a complaint with the police.

During preliminary inquiry into the case, it was revealed that lakhs of rupees reportedly changed hands to help aspirants join MBBS through illegal means.

The case had come to public's attention in September when Udit Surya, a student of Theni Medical College, his father Dr Venkatesan, a casualty medical officer at the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai, and a Kerala based agent Rasheed were arrested.

A proxy candidate had allegedly appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) instead of Udit Surya, who joined the Theni Medical College, based on the marks secured by the hired man in the exam.

HC slams CB-CID

Meanwhile, the Madras High Court on Tuesday asked the Crime Branch-CID as why it had not taken K V Udit Surya, who was arrested in connection with a NEET impersonation case, into custody for interrogation though it was more than 15 days since he was arrested.

When Udit Surya's bail plea came up, Justice G R Swaminathan observed that Surya's father was the actual villainin the case.

The court slammed the CB-CID for not taking Surya into custody for interrogation.

Objecting to the bail application, the CB-CID said none of the accused should be given bail as they were not cooperating with the police.

The case has been posted for hearing on Thursday.

Nine people have been arrested in connection with the NEET impersonation case.