The Federal Investigation Agency has booked two senior officials of the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) in the case of the paper leak of the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) over charges of exploiting the examination process for “substantial financial gains” and undermining the test’s fairness and credibility, it emerged on Thursday.

Over 38,000 candidates had on Sept 22 appeared in MDCAT, organised by DUHS, in five cities of Sindh. Hours after the test, the Young Doctors Association had alleged that the MDCAT paper was leaked before the start of the exam and demanded an investigation.

On October 26, a Sindh High Court bench through a short order had ordered the authorities to retake the MDCAT within four weeks after a probe committee had unanimously concluded that the entire test procedure, conducted on September 22 in the province, was compromised.

The retake was held on December 8, marred by mismanagement as the paper began two hours behind the scheduled time, causing hardship and mental agony to over 38,000 students.

A first information report (FIR) was registered on Tuesday at the Federal Investigation Agency’s Cybercrime Reporting Centre in Karachi by human rights activist Bilawal Mallah under Sections 3 (unauthorised access to information system or data), 4 (unauthorised copying or transmission of data), 13 (electronic forgery), 14 (electronic fraud) and 20 (offences against dignity of a natural person) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 read with Section 109 (abetment), 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating and dishonesty), 468 (forgery) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The FIR was lodged against the DUHS examination controller and deputy controller, and 13 other nominated suspects.

It said the FIA initiated an inquiry on Oct 18 over the complaint regarding the paper leak which “damaged the career of meritorious students of Sindh”.

It added that the nominated suspects were found “involved” upon the finalisation of inquiries.

It said the individuals engaged in buying and selling exam materials using social media as a tool and were also responsible for breaching confidentiality during the preparation phase of the exam.

The FIR added that the above included unauthorised access to exam content, its illicit distribution through social media platforms that leaked confidential data and key questions and answers, as well as the failure to maintain the sanctity and integrity of the exam process.

It further said that the statements of the suspects were recorded and their mobile phones were seized during the course of the inquiry.

“Upon reviewing the forensic report and technical report pertaining to the accused individuals, it was revealed that the aforementioned persons were actively involved in orchestrating the leakage of the MDCAT examination paper. The report highlighted that the leaked content was subsequently disseminated through various social media platforms, enabling widespread unauthorised access.

“Furthermore, the investigation uncovered that the accused received substantial financial gains as a result of their actions, exploiting the examination process for monetary benefits. This malpractice not only undermined the fairness and credibility of the medical entry test but also caused significant damage to the trust in the examination system, affecting aspiring medical students and the reputation of the governing authorities responsible for conducting the test. Furthermore, the forensic reports for certain accused individuals are still pending,” the FIR said.

It concluded that as per the facts, circumstances and evidence collected so far, the suspects had criminal intentions and committed the crime by leaking the MDCAT entry test questions, breaching the trust of students and government entities, inducement, electronic forgery and fraud using forged documents.