3 days ago
Engineering professor, 3 students held for exam malpractices
The Pune Police Crime Branch's Unit 6 has arrested a professor and three students from Moze Engineering College in Wagholi for allegedly providing university exam papers to students to rewrite in exchange for money, police said on Tuesday. Taking serious cognisance of the case, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) has constituted a fact-finding committee which has been asked to submit the report within seven days post which the varsity authorities have promised action against the college staff, said Prabhakar Desai, officiating director, Board of Examinations and Evaluation, SPPU.
According to officials, based on a tip-off, the action was taken at the college on Monday night. Police said the professor allegedly allowed students to rewrite examination papers after the scheduled exam hours by accepting money. The investigation revealed that targeted students, worried about failing in particular subjects, would leave the answer sheets blank during the exam, conducted during the second half of the day. Later in the night, Satav gave them the answer sheet to rewrite the paper with correct answers and charge ₹10,000- ₹50,000 per paper.
As per SPPU officials, since the exam was conducted in the second half of day, the answer sheet would remain with the college till next morning before been brought to the university.
The accused, Pratik Kisan Satav, 37, of Kesnand in Wagholi is professor at the mechanical engineering department of the private engineering college. He has been teaching mathematics at the Moze Engineering College since past five years.
The arrested students include Aditya Yashwant Khilare, 20; Amol Ashok Nagargoje, 19, and Aniket Shivaji Rode, 20, all from Wagholi who helped the professor in the racket. Nagargoje and Rode, third year students of the college, are engaged in providing security services to the institute under the earn and learn scheme.
Khilare works at a hostel run by Satav's wife. He, according to police officials, was also looking after Satav's finances during the exam malpractices. All the four arrested will be produced in the local court on Wednesday, a police official said.
Despite attempts, Moze college authorities did not respond to allegations and the police action.
Officials said six answer sheet bundles of engineering mathematics paper 2 of SPPU, ₹2,06,000 in cash and duplicate key of the control room where answer sheets were kept were seized from Satav's possession. Eight first year students of the engineering course were found to have received the exam papers.
Nikhil Pingale, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), crime, said, 'We are investigating how long they have been running the racket and who else is involved in the case.'
Wagholi Police Station has filed a case under Sections 303(2), 318(2), 318(3), 318(4), 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 4, 5, 10 and 11 of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
In October and December 2024, there were complaints of similar nature against professor Satav. In January 2025, the SPPU wrote to Moze Engineering College asking the institute to probe the paper leak allegations by constituting the committee. The panel set up by the college, however, did not find anything substantial against the professor. The college removed him from the post of chief examination officer responsible for the smooth conduct of exam.
