In a significant crackdown on cheating during the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT), police arrested seven accused of ‘facilitating’ cheating in the examination. The arrests came after complaints of widespread cheating in MDCAT across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where candidates were allegedly receiving answers through electronic devices, including Bluetooth earpieces, from outside the examination centers.
Law enforcement apprehended 74 candidates, both male and female, on charges of exam cheating. Additionally, 19 cases were registered at eight police stations in the provincial capital. The alleged mastermind behind the cheating operation, Zafar Khattak, was apprehended as part of a joint operation by the Peshawar and Kohat police.
During the operation, police seized electronic devices, which will undergo forensic examination by the Federal Investigation Agency. Investigators are also scrutinizing call records of Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency (ETEA) employees and the arrested students.
Officials revealed that a centralized cheating system was in place, with fixed rates exceeding Rs. 2 million per case, including devices and facilitation. Over 200 FIRs have been registered thus far in connection with the scandal.
The Khyber Medical University (KMU) expressed a zero-tolerance policy for electronic gadget use during the test and stated that candidates caught cheating would face legal action, including a two-year ban from all ETEA tests. This crackdown underscores the commitment to maintaining the integrity of medical and dental college admissions.
