This was the second paper leak scandal in four months. Several students were arrested in the third week of May and former chairman of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Brig (retd) Manzoor Iqbal Bangash, had been forced to quit his job after the leak of FSc Physics paper (part-II).
A large number of students staged a protest demonstration in front of the Karnal Sher Khan Stadium where the entry test was scheduled to be held on Sunday morning. They demanded strict action against ETEA officials for their alleged corruption and negligence.
The city police took the action on the order of Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani, official sources told Dawn. They added that sale of the entry test paper had started about three days ago and on Saturday several medical students were selling it through their personal contacts to students.
The police staff of chief minister, Special Branch and city police, started investigation into the scandal and have so far arrested 40 people who had allegedly sold out the paper.
But senior police officials said the main accused who had got the paper from the ETEA on payment of Rs7.5 million had not yet been arrested.
The city police arrested the 40 persons on late Saturday night and Sunday on charges of selling the paper, under section 417, 418, 419, 420 and 409 of the Pakistan Penal Code, official sources added.
The city police chief had constituted a three-member inquiry committee headed by SSP investigation Badar Furrukh. The other two members of the committee were SSP operation Saeed Wazir and DSP investigation city Aziz Khan.
The sources said the city police, on the direction of Chief Minister Durrani, started investigation into the case and contacted Sohail Abdali, a BBA student of a private institute.
One of the police officials, pretending to be a medical student, talked to Sohail, who allegedly agreed to sell the paper for Rs200,000 and asked him to come over to Amin Hotel on the main Grand Trunk Road on Saturday night.
The police went to the hotel and arrested Sohail with the test paper, the sources said.
During preliminary interrogation, Sohail disclosed that he had got the paper from Mohammad Saad and Mohammad Fahad, sons of Samiullah, owner of a tent services establishment.
Police officials said the two brothers confessed to having sold the paper and said they had bought it from another student Amjad, a third year student of a private college in Karachi and resident of Kohat. The same night, police nabbed Amjad on the information provided by the two brothers.
Amjad, in turn, pointed the accusing finger at another student of a private institute, Sajjad, who was arrested on Sunday afternoon.
On the information provided by the five arrested persons, the police and Special Branch arrested 35 more students. They also confessed to purchasing the entry test paper from the gang of five and later selling it to others.
However, officials said the main culprit who had purchased the paper remained at large. The hunt was on and he would be netted soon, said a senior official.
The sources said the main accused had purchased the paper and later sold it to many persons for between Rs200,000 and Rs1,400,000.
But those who purchased the paper later started selling it to others at lower price. Even on Saturday evening, it was being sold at Rs20,000, they said.
A large number of students, who had come from other districts and far-flung areas of the Frontier province to sit in the test, staged a protest demonstration in front of the Karnal Sher Khan Stadium.
They marched on the GT Road and blocked it for some time in protest against the paper leak. They demanded severe punishment for those involved in the racket.
Our Swabi Correspondent adds: NWFP Education Minister Maulana Fazle Ali has expressed resentment over the paper leak and vowed to take to task those responsible.
Talking to Dawn on Sunday, he said the incident had put the transparency of the entry test system at stake. “We will see whether to continue with the current system or introduce a new one.”