Of a vest with micro-speakers, pinhead earphones

NAGPUR: An astounding array of high-tech gadgets that would pale those seen in James Bond movies were used in the racket now being simply called as AIPMT leak. As reported on Tuesday, it had a city connection with Parimal Kotpalliwar, a consultant for private medical college admissions, acting as link between the students writing the test and the kingpin of the gang that assured live solutions to the All-India premedical test at a hefty price of Rs17 lakh per head.
Information gleaned from city police officials, who were part of the investigating team, revealed how a lot of careful planning went into the racket. Kotpalliwar, the son-in-law of former Umred MLA Vasantrao Itkelwar, got drawn into the scheme to make a lot of quick and easy money.
A couple of days before the AIPMT test on May 3, Kotpalliwar, who operated in Maharashtra as an agent to procure medical college admissions from management quota in private colleges, had a chance meeting with one Abid Ali in Pune. Ali was a second year MBBS student from Nashik.
Ali was in touch with Dr Gayaz Ali of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh who, along with, Roop Dangi are believed to be the main conspirators behind the racket. Abid told Kotpalliwar that he could make more money in one go by joining them and he fell for it. Kotpalliwar was enticed by Ali’s offer.
Accordingly, Kotpalliwar contacted seven city students who agreed for the Rs17 lakh package for the AIPMT exam. They were supplied a whole gamut of devices for the high-tech cheating.
A vest with micro-speakers stitched into the lining at the neck was the main gadget. They were wirelessly attached to a thin SIM-phone device placed at the waist to receive signals which were then transmitted to the earphones.
The earphones were the size of pinheads that got fixed to the eardrums making it difficult to spot them. A magnetic device was later used to retrieve the earplug from the ear.
The candidate writing the test could actually hear answers to each question that were being provided by a team of seven expert doctors sitting in a control room that was located at a resort in Bahrod on the Haryana-Rajasthan border. The question paper was transmitted to the control room by a candidate using I-Watch scanner.
The special vest cost Rs20,000 extra for the one-time use and each of the candidates had paid Rs1.5lakh in advance for the deal. A coughing sound made twice by the candidate was the secret signal to indicate request for repeat of the answer.
Kotpalliwar had rented out two rooms in a hotel on Great Nag Road in the city and from there all the gadgets, including six SIM cards specially fetched from Uttar Pradesh were supplied. These roaming cards were not detected but the cyber crime cell got the clue from a Maharashtra number that was used and led to Kotpalliwar, according to sources in the city police who were alerted by the special investigative team (SIT) of Rohtak which exposed the racket.
The SIT, headed by Rohtak DSP Amit Bhatia, was formed soon after suspicion was raised about the AIPMT leak on May 3. The SIT directed by Rohtak inspector general Shrikant Jadhav alerted the Nagpur acting DSP Amit Kale. Kotpalliwar was picked up on May 6. The Rohtak SIT air-dashed here to get custody of Kotpalliwar.
Bhatia told TOI that till date 24 persons, including beneficiary candidates, were arrested. He refused to give more details saying that he has to bare the modus operandi before the court first.
The Supreme Court has already extended its stay on the AIPMT results till June 12. A final decision on whether a re-exam would be conducted would now depend on the court verdict. Around six lakh candidates had appeared for the AIPMT conduced by the Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) through which MBBS admissions are facilitated in the country.
MODUS OPERANDI
Candidates were provided a vest with micro-speakers stitched into the lining at the neck
Vest cost Rs20,000 for a one-time use
Speakers were attached to a thin SIM-phone device placed at the waist to receive signals.
Attachment was wireless
Signals were then transmitted to the earphones
They were as small as pinheads and fixed to eardrums
Retrieved later using a magnetic device
Candidate transmits question paper using I_Watch scanner
Expert panel of 7 doctors provided the answers
These docs were at a resort in Bahrod on Haryana-Rajasthan border
Coughing sound twice by candidate was secret signal for repeating the answer
Each student was charged Rs17 lakh, Rs1.15 lakh taken in advance