CBI arrests Karnataka doctor in PGI seat scam

The impersonators,brilliant medical students pursuing MD in coveted medical colleges in New Delhi and Bangalore,were a vital part of the network being run by the scam’s mastermind,who reportedly paid them the largest share of the money that the students paid for the seats.

The kingpin of the scam,Gaurav Shalin,who was running coaching centre in Mumbai was arrested by the CBI in August this year.

Another ayurvedic doctor,who allegedly acted as one of the conduits,was arrested from Rajasthan last year.

CBI Chandigarh Zone DIG Mahesh Aggarwal said the accused Rajnikant is pursuing MD in B R Ambedkar Medical College in Bangalore. He was accosted by the CBI team in Bangalore,where he was asked to join investigations in Chandigarh,following which he was arrested.

Rajnikant was the impersonator who sat in PGI’s MD entrance test that led to the admission of Amit Musale to the institute. Rajnikant was known for cracking entrance tests.

CBI said he was contacted by Shalin through a middleman to act as the impersonator. CBI said the possibility of Rajnikant having sat in other entrance tests cannot be ruled out. Rajnikant got a share of the Rs 20 lakh that Musale claimed to have paid Shalin for his admission.

Amit Musale was pursuing MD in pharmacology in PGI when he was arrested by CBI in September last year along with Sujoy Sonawane,who was doing his MD in paediatrics.

The two were subsequently thrown out of the PGI.

Another MD student—Pradeep Chaudhry—from the Lady Hardinge Medical College in New Delhi was arrested by the CBI for impersonating Sujoy Sonawane in December last year.

Shalin’s coaching centre “helped” aspirants get admission in MBBS and MD courses in coveted medical colleges in India.

His main areas of operation were Karnataka,Maharashtra,Madhya Pradesh,Punjab and Haryana,where he along with his partners would SMS aspirants for various examinations offering sure shot seats at a certain price.

The price of the seats ranged from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 80 lakh depending on the medical college and the concerned course. Other than MD seats in PGI,Chandigarh,Shalin allegedly offered to get admissions done in AIIMS,New Delhi as well.