The Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) and the Mumbai Police have unearthed an MBA-admission racket with the arrest of six persons who used unethical practices to secure admission for MBA courses in prestigious management institutes across the country.
NMIMS had lodged a complaint with the Joint Commissioner of Police, Mumbai, regarding impersonation cases observed during the NMIMS Management Aptitude Test (NMAT) 2013. This is a national-level MBA entrance test and was conducted from October 11 to December 19 last year.
During the admission process, the institute authorities found discrepancies between the photograph taken at the time of writing the NMAT and the photographs on the personal interview application form of a few students.
“The office got alerted and did a thorough check of matching each candidates photograph with the photograph taken at the time of writing the NMAT. This analysis showed that there were about 87 candidates in the final merit list who have impersonated and have committed forgery in securing admission. Our research also showed that there were at least six individuals who have impersonated for as many as 87 or more students across the country. Most of these students are with high scores of 220 and above,” NMIMS said in a press statement.
Rampant
The Mumbai Police said investigations revealed that one of the accused had promised a student pass marks in the NMAT exam through the Management Quota and had quoted Rs 15 lakh for the same. Thereafter, the accused took Rs 7.5 lakh as advance. At the time of the examination, the accused told the student not to appear for the written examination and that they would manage from inside, the Mumbai Police said in a press statement.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that such malpractices are also rampant in prestigious institutes across India in the field of MBA, medicine and engineering through Education Consultancy firms and coaching classes which have mushroomed all over India. Other institutes found involved in such practices are Career Guardian inGhaziabad (UP) and Meta Consultancy, Delhi,” the statement said.