'Munnabhai' of Telangana arrested

Hyderabad: In a scene straight from Bollywood blockbuster "Munnabhai MBBS", a youth in Telangana sent his friend to appear in an examination for admission into the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) course.

Police arrested Maliga Linga Swamy, the second ranker in the Telangana State Education Common Entrance Test (EdCET), on charges of impersonation.

Swamy, a native of Nagonda district, engaged Shoban, a former student of Osmania University and presently a railway employee, to write the exam held in June.

Police said Swamy, who did MA (English) from Osmania University, desired to take admission in B.Ed course in the same university.

As the competition is tough for admission into the course, and Swamy was not capable of securing good rank, he asked his friend Srinivas Reddy, a student of Osmania University to send his application online for EdCET-2015 by affixing the photo of Shoban.

Shoban appeared in the exam held on June 6 at University College for Women, Koti, Hyderabad.

The authorities launched an investigation on the suspicion that the top rankers sent others to write the exam.

EdCET convener Padala Prasad informed police that a committee has been constituted by the Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) to inquire into the alleged malpractices.

After due verification of records available with the convener, the committee felt that there was a need to conduct detailed investigation into the allegations made against the two top rankers.

The top ranker has been identified as Maliga Krishnakanth, also a native of Nalgonda district.

Police said they were making efforts to nab him.

Source: IANS