A cheating ring was uncovered in Quetta during the Medical College Admission Test (MDCAT 2024) after federal agencies provided a tip-off to authorities.
The ring allegedly involved two facilitators, one of whom was a retired Federal Public Service Commission official from Islamabad. They reportedly assisted 50 students in cheating by supplying them with Bluetooth devices, each sold for 100,000 rupees. Most of the arrested students were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, having registered in Quetta specifically to engage in the scheme.
Local facilitators in Quetta were also arrested, and further investigations into the network are ongoing.
This incident is part of a broader MDCAT scandal in Pakistan, with reports of mismanagement surfacing from Karachi and other regions of Sindh. Dr. Sarosh Lodhi, Vice-Chancellor of NED University, clarified that the institution was not responsible for the test’s mismanagement. The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) oversees the exam’s administration, security, and execution.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 134 more candidates were identified as suspected cheaters, bringing the total to 219 students caught using Bluetooth devices. In response, the provincial government decided to re-conduct the MDCAT within six weeks, leading to protests from students and parents who had passed the original exam.
Authorities took swift action following the scandal, with around 3,200 candidates who passed the test undergoing paper rechecks due to suspected cheating. Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) were also formed in Karachi, Lahore, and Punjab to further investigate.
The PMDC, which has the authority to cancel the test if necessary, continues its efforts to maintain the integrity of the MDCAT exam. The council successfully conducted the 2023 MDCAT, with approximately 187,000 students participating.
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