DU Question Leak: Key suspect got money 15 days before test: CID

A Dhaka University student deposited Tk 1.50 lakh into the bank account of Alip Kumar Biswas, a suspected member of a racket involved in leaking question papers, around 15 days before the university's "Gha" unit admission test, say CID officials.

Admission seekers allege the questions of the English part were leaked around eight hours before the test on Friday.

The DU authorities, however, refuted the allegation and published the results in just two days amid protests. 

Citing the bank slip, the CID investigators said the student of DU's Shahidullah Hall is also a suspect and he deposited the amount with a branch of a private bank on Elephant Road.

Meanwhile, arrested BCL leader Abdullah Al Mamun admitted his link with leaking question papers of DU admission exams, say the statements of the case filed over the reported question paper leak.

About the transaction, a CID investigator told The Daily Star, “It seems unusual and we are suspecting that the money is related to leaking question papers and helping those who cheat in exams."

The official said they learnt about the transaction after examining the electronic equipment seized from the three arrestees in the case.

Mamun is a third-year student of applied chemistry and chemical engineering and also the theatre and debate affairs secretary of the BCL's Amar Ekushey Hall unit. The other two arrestees are Mohiuddin Rana, a master's student of physics and also an assistant secretary of the BCL central committee; and admission seeker Ishrak Hossain Rafi.

Rana was expelled from the BCL after the incident on Friday.

The CID official also said key suspect Alip has an account with a mobile financial service provider. The account received a good amount of money ahead of the exams, the official said.

A former BCL leader of Dhaka College, Alip has been on the run since the incident surfaced. He currently works at the admin department of the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP) in Savar, the official said, adding that they have already alerted the airports and land ports so that the suspect cannot flee the country.

"We will know more about the racket after Alip's arrest."

During primary interrogation, the arrestees said Alip was running the racket, which was involved in leaking question papers. Several students of DU, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University and some of those involved with coaching centres were also a part of the gang, say the case statements. 

Contacted, a BKSP official, wishing not to be named, yesterday told The Daily Star that Alip did not go to his office for the last two days.

BKSP Director General Brig Gen Shamsur Rahman said he came to know about the allegation against Alip through newspapers. Asked, he said no law enforcers contacted them looking for the suspect.

"Alip took a leave till Wednesday," he added. 

Another CID official said they were trying to arrest the suspect and would ask the BKSP authorities to give them any information about him.

A special team of CID arrested the two BCL leaders from their dormitories hours before the admission tests on Friday. Rafi was caught red-handed while cheating in the exam using a special electronic device. The trio is currently on four-day remand each.

Talking to this newspaper at the CID headquarters in the city's Malibagh on Friday, Rana said he was working as a "middleman" for a syndicate run by Alip.

This year Rana was assisting two examinees. Last year he had two clients (students) for admission under 'Ka' unit. One of them got admitted to the university, and he received Tk 20,000 for the job.

Rafi said he entered into a Tk 4 lakh contract with Zenith, a student of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, and also a BCL activist, who had introduced him to Rana, according to the case statement.

Rana collected the device, used for cheating in the Friday's exam, from Alip's brother and handed it over to Rafi, said the statement.

The case statement also said the CID along with the three teachers and a house tutor of Amar Ekushey carried out a drive on Thursday night on information that a racket was involved in leaking question papers of DU's "Gha" unit exam. The two BCL leaders were arrested during the drive.

The statements also said the whatsapp messages found in Mamun's cell phone showed that images of question papers and admit cards of several admission seekers were sent to other users.

A CID official said they were still investigating the matter and were trying to find out whether the racket and the reported "Gha" unit question paper leak were linked.

Talking to this correspondent yesterday, Additional Special Superintendent Minhazul Islam of the CID said such groups were involved in leaking question papers of various public examinations like university admission tests or job exams.

PROTESTS CONTINUE

Like Sunday, left-leaning student organisations yesterday continued their protests on the DU campus, demanding postponement of the admissions under the "Gha" unit.

Pragatisheel Chhatra Jote, an alliance of left leaning student organisations, made the demand at a press conference at the university's Madhur Canteen.

Bangladesh Chhatra Federation's DU unit also held a protest rally demanding cancellation of the exam and punishment for those involved with the question "leak".