Former Kashmir exam board chairman arrested

Srinagar – Mushtaq Ahmad Peer, the former chairman of Jammu and Kashmir’s Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BOPEE), was Saturday arrested in the multi-million 2012 test paper leak racket, police said.

“Yes, we have arrested Mustaq Ahmad Peer, former chairman of BOPEE, in Srinagar today (Saturday),” a senior officer of the state crime branch told IANS.

Peer is allegedly involved in a multi-million test paper leakage racket for the 2012 MBBS entrance examinations in which test papers were leaked in advance to aspirants who paid hefty sums of money to get selected for the course.

He is also alleged to have set up a special examination centre in Srinagar city for the candidates who had paid him money, crime branch officials said.

Peer was assisted by two residents of Anantnag district in south Kashmir in the paper leak racket.

One of the two, identified as Farooq Ahmad Itoo, has already turned approver for the investigators.

Peer was regularly summoned by inve! stigators for questioning to the crime branch headquarters during the last three days.

He had also been advised not to leave Srinagar city without permission.

The high-profile Peer, who was last year appointed as consultant by the state government to fast track appointments for non-gazetted posts, was sacked by the government on Nov 14 this year.