In two years, 19-year-old took 7 exams as dummy in Gujarat

RAJKOT: Milan Baraiya, the youngest accused in the dummy candidates racket busted in Bhavnagar, was arrested after several hours of questioning by the special investigation team (SIT) formed to probe the scam that was thriving since 2012.
Baraiya, 19, had taken at least seven different exams for as many candidates as a dummy from 2020 to 2022. Thus, he was involved in the racket when he was just about 16 years old.
The scam was busted by the Bhavnagar local crime branch (LCB) which booked 36 people of whom six including four masterminds have been arrested to date. Baraiya, a native of Sartanpar village of Bhavnagar, had taken the first exam as a dummy candidate for Devarshi Brahman, son of school teacher Dashrath who was a friend of prime accused Sharad Panot. He wrote Class 12 physics for the teacher's son in the Swami Vidyamandi exam centre of Bhavnagar. Panot reportedly told Dashrath that Baraiya was good at physics.
Reports say that Devarshi is now studying medicine in Phillippines and police are digging out more details. Dashrath works in a government school in Velavadar.
In 2020, Baraiya then took Class 12 arts paper for a candidate in MK Jamod School of Bhavnagar. On March 13 last year, he appeared for a student named Kavit Rao who was aspiring to become a g government laboratory technician.
"There was some delay in arresting Milan as he had committed a few crimes as a juvenile and then has a major," said sources close to investigation. Panot then used him as a dummy for a student named Bhavesh Jethwa for the exam of livestock inspector held on March 26, 2022.
The FIR states that Baraiya took exams of forest guard, Class XII science, and Class X exam for three students last year. Panot and other masterminds paid him Rs 25,000 per exam. Police, however, did not confirm or deny his detention while senior police officials including range IG Gautam Parma and Bhavnagar superintendent of police Ravindra Patel did not disclose any details related to the case. Deputy SP RR Singhal who is heading the SIT also preferred to keep mum on the details of the investigation.
Meanwhile, Akshay Baraiya (25), a clerk with a government engineering college in Bhavnagar and Sanjay Pandya, a trainee police sub-inspector, who were arrested on Monday were remanded to police custody till April 21. They were produced in the court on Tuesday. Police sought remand to get more details about financial transactions, bank account details, and if more accused are involved.