The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cyber Crime Circle has summoned several students who scored above 90% in the recent Medical and Dental College Admissions Test (MDCAT) held on September 22, suspecting them of involvement in a paper leak. As part of its probe, the FIA plans to conduct mock exams for these students, assessing the legitimacy of their high marks.
The Sindh government initiated this investigation on October 10, following court orders to establish a six-member inquiry committee tasked with scrutinizing the MDCAT irregularities. The committee is mandated to determine criminal and civil liabilities, probe the alleged timing and methods of the paper leak, and analyze the distribution of marks to detect any discrepancies with students’ past academic records.
On October 26, the Sindh High Court (SHC) ordered a retake of MDCAT within a month, deeming the test process compromised. Additionally, the SHC instructed the FIA to conclude its investigation within two months.
Several students received notices to appear before the FIA’s inquiry officers, with instructions to bring their original national identity cards. Notices reviewed by Dawn revealed that the FIA inquiry officer stated it was “practically not possible” for a student to achieve such high scores. The call-up letters warned that failing to comply would be interpreted as an absence of defense, leading to legal action.
The inquiry report presented to the SHC also highlighted disparities in scores across districts, with students from rural areas like Tharparkar and Sujawal scoring higher marks than their counterparts in urban centers like Karachi and Hyderabad. This lopsided distribution raised further concerns, as officials noted that students from these less urbanized regions showed unusually high performance compared to those in metropolitan areas.
The investigation continues, with the FIA focused on gathering statements and conducting mock exams to ascertain the credibility of these anomalous results.
