Two weeks after the scam of a miscreant posing as Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) deputy registrar and collecting money from students for issuing graduation certificates, came to light, it is now being alleged that the family members of a university employee were behind the deceit.
“Internal inquiry revealed that the account to which the students were asked to send the money, belonged to the niece of a person employed in MKU’s dispatch section. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Several other employees are also involved in similar scams. They lay under the radar because they promptly issued the certificates after receiving money. In the answer-script missing incident too, no action was taken against the person who was responsible for safeguarding the papers,” said an official from MKU upon request for anonymity.
Meanwhile, the MKU authorities on Friday, August 12, lodged a police complaint with regard to the scam. Several students and alumni from MKU had raised grievances that they were conned by a person who asked them to send money online for receiving convocation certificates, consolidated mark sheets, and other documents. The issue came to light after TNIE, which has accessed the letters, mobile call recordings, call history and GPay details of students who had sent money to the account of Anushiya Selvam, reported the issue on August 3.
Though the varsity authorities at first said they would investigate the issue internally and would not lodge a police complaint, on Friday they lodged a plaint with Nagamalai Pudukottai police. Speaking to TNIE, MKU Registrar (i/c) M Sivakumar said the university will also form a committee to hold inquiries. Meanwhile, steps are being taken to issue certificates to the students who got duped in the scam.
Vice-Chancellor J Kumar said the authorities faced several challenges while trying the crack the scam internally. “A DSP-level officer had inquired about the issue,” he said.
Speaking to TNIE, Madurai Kamaraj, Manonmaniam Sundaranar, Mother Teresa, and Alagappa University Teachers’ Association (MUTA) General Secretary GS Nagarajan said the varsity must take urgent action to find who swindled so much money from the students. “On behalf of MUTA, I will send a letter to Governor RN Ravi, Minister for Higher Education K Ponmudy and Principal Secretary to the Higher Education D Karthikeyan regarding this issue,” he added.
Courtesy : Edex