Two staffers of Symbiosis open varsity fudge marks

Plaint against duo in cybercrime cell for passing 178 pupils in exchange of money

Officials from the cybercrime department of Pune police have booked two evaluation officers employed with Symbiosis Skills and Professional University (SSPU) under Symbiosis Open Education Society (SOES) for allegedly wrongfully increasing the marks of 178 students in exchange of money between September 2018 and December 2019.

A case has been registered against Sandeep Hengale (resident of Sinhagad Road) and Sumit Kumar (native of Amberpeth in Hyderabad, Telangana), the two staffers of the open university, under the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, for manipulating marks, forgery of documents and fraud. Namdev Kumbhar, chief assessment officer of the varsity, has lodged a complaint with the cybercrime cell in this regard.

The complaint filed against Hengale and Kumar accuses the duo of fudging figures and giving pass marks to students, the extent of which is still unknown. The two employees attached with the education establishment further forged certificates for students, claims the first information report (FIR) registered against them. Suspecting the illegal activity to take place between 2018 and 2019, the complainant lodged a complaint only recently with the cybercrime cell after the matter allegedly came to his notice. Senior police inspector Jairam Paygude attached with cybercrime cell is investigating the case.

Commenting on the nature of the crime, deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Sambhaji Kadam said, "During the institute's internal audit, the authorities apparently realised that something was amiss. The management suspects the two accused of facilitating passing marks to as many as 178 students pursuing various distance learning courses from the varsity in exchange of monetary favours. We are investigating the exact amount of the monetary transactions and the extent of the marks allotted wrongfully to students who had allegedly failed in various subjects."

"When officials cross-checked the actual documents of the students, they found various discrepancies. The motive of the crime is most likely financial profit. Our team is probing the matter further. A case has been filed against the accused under sections 464 and 465 (forgery and punishment therewith) and 42 (non-cognisable offence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 66 of the IT Act. No arrests have been made so far as the two are reportedly not in the city," said Paygude.

Dr Swati Mujumdar, pro-chancellor at the varsity, added, "We have informed the cybercrime police on how the internal data may have leaked. While we are not aware of the two accepting money from the student to give extra marks, the details may have been revealed during police investigation."