GUWAHATI, Nov 29 - Capping a month-long manhunt, Guwahati police on Saturday arrested the proxy candidate who appeared in the JEE (Mains) examination on behalf of the actual candidate Neel Nakshatra Das and brought him to Guwahati on Sunday. A police team led by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Suprotiv Lal Baruah, and comprising sub-inspector Hasthaisula Brahma and constable Subhash Dutta of Azara Police Station, apprehended the accused � identified as Pradip Kumar � from Ber Sarai area of New Delhi on Saturday, Commissioner of Police Munna Prasad Gupta said.
The 34-year-old man, who hails from Jharkhand, is an engineering graduate from Delhi College of Engineering, ADCP Baruah told The Assam Tribune. �Based on the statement of Bhargav Deka, owner of Guwahati-based educational consultancy Global Edu Light, we conducted the manhunt in New Delhi and apprehended the person. Deka said that on the day of the examination, Pradip Kumar stepped into the examination hall and appeared on behalf of Neel Nakshatra Das,� Baruah said.
For hiring Pradip Kumar, who was allegedly involved with such scams earlier too, Neel Nakshatra Das�s father had paid a huge amount of money to Bhargav Deka.
After the arrest, Guwahati police produced Pradip Kumar in a court in New Delhi on Sunday and took him on transit remand. The police team and the arrested accused reached Guwahati on Sunday evening by flight.
The scam came to light in the later part of October when the phone call recordings of the accused candidate, who took the help of the proxy candidate, went viral on social media. Based on a complaint by one Mitradev Sarma, police found arrested the actual candidate Neel Nakshatra Das and his father Jyotirmoy Das.
The mastermind of the scam Global Edu Light owner Bhargav Deka, alongwith Global Edu Light consultant Kakoli Buzarbaruah, two employees of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Hamendra Nath Sarma and Pranjal Kalita and examination invigilator Hirukamal Pathak were also arrested.
The National Testing Agency had entrusted TCS to conduct the examination.
Recently, the Gauhati High Court granted bail to Neel Nakshatra Das who has confessed to the crime and revealed everything about the scam. The other six accused are lodged at the Guwahati Central Jail. Two employees of Global Edu Light � Rubul Medhi and Rantu Das � are absconding.
