Bhavnagar: The crime branch has busted an 11-year-old scam of dummy students appearing in the exams in place of actual candidates in various competitive exams in Bhavnagar.

Bhavnagar Police’s local crime branch (LCB) Inspector has filed a complaint at Bharatnagar police station in this regard. The accused namely Sharad Bhanushankar Panot living in Shivam Amrut society in Bhavnagar, Prakash alias PK of Piprala in Talaja, Karshanbhai Dave and Baldev Rameshbhai Rathod from Dihor in Talaja, allegedly took money from the candidates of various exams, altered their hall ticket, Aadhar card and photos, and made Milan Ghughabhai Baraiya (from Sartanpar, Bhavnagar) and others to appear in the exam as dummy candidates.

The gang made the dummy candidates appear for the Gujarat state education board exam and other competitive exams for government jobs from 2011 to 2023. Milan Baraiya confessed during the inquiry that he gave an exam as a dummy candidate in 2020 for class 12 physics in Swami Vidhya mandir on behalf of a teacher’s son after being told by the accused Sharad and PK. He also gave a lab technician exam in Ahmedabad on 13th march 2022 as a dummy of the actual candidate namely Kavita M Rav.

He appeared for an exam in place of Jethva Bhavesh Rameshbhai for recruitment of livestock inspector on 26th march 2022. He also gave the Van Rakshak exam in 2022 as a dummy of a candidate from Rajpara (Dihor). The accused Sharad and PK used to give him Rs 25 thousand for the task. A police complaint is filed against a total 36 persons including the candidates and dummy candidates.DeshGujarat