The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has unearthed an inter-state racket operating from Bihar’s Nalanda district which helped unemployed youths clear the examination for the post of probationary officers (POs) in different banks.
All one had to do was to shell out a substantial amount (up to Rs18 lakh) and submit the original mark-sheet to kingpin Sanjeev Verma, a peon working with Bihar Education Resource Centre in Nalanda.
The modus operandi was unique. A select group of probationary officers was hired by this peon and sent to the examination centres in Delhi or Mumbai by flight to appear on behalf of the candidates.
To circumvent identification checks implemented by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection, the agency which conducts examinations for bank POs, Sanjeev used to take thumb-prints of the original candidates and develop thin films matching them.
These were implanted on the thumbs of the impersonator, who was supposed to appear for the examination on behalf of the original candidate.
The gang also used to morph photographs in such a way that invigilators could not detect them in the examination hall. The impersonators were also provided fake identity cards (like forged voter I-cards) which would come in handy if there was some trouble.
The candidates were supposed to give a certain amount of money in advance, along with their original educational documents. After clearing the examination, the rest of the amount used to be paid to Verma, who would then return the original certificates to the respective candidates.
Everything would have gone undetected had the CBI not got the wind of it and arrested probationary officer Roshan Kumar at Noida, who was appearing for the regional rural banks’ examination on behalf of Rajesh Kumar of Nalanda.
In the second sitting of the examination, Roshan was supposed to appear for another candidate, Kishlaya (also from Bihar), at another examination centre in Noida.
Once arrested, Roshan spilled the beans, following which the CBI conducted simultaneous raids in different states, including Bihar.
Though the main accused, Verma, managed to give the police the slip, his wife Alisha was apprehended on Monday.
Verma had used the same modus operandi to help his wife become a probationary officer. Alisha is working as a PO in UCO Bank in Nalanda district. She has been arrested and sent to the Beur Jail in Patna.