Avinash Azad
Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 20: A Bank Draft scandal has surfaced at IGNOU's regional Centre Jammu where, the drafts submitted by students are being sold to innocent students who visit the centre for admission, and staff.
According to sources, around 25 cases where students were fleeced by the staff members by selling them stolen bank drafts came to fore recently. "The scam involves an amount of over “Rs three lakh ", they said.
"I went to IGNOU's regional centre Jammu to submit admission form of my sister for master degree programe in July session", said Kunal, a victim, adding Surinder, a security guard convinced him to buy a bank draft amounting Rs 13,500.
"The security guard came to me and suggested that a student had wrongly made a bank draft of Rs 13,500, buy this bank draft, it will save your time and you will submit your admission form without wasting any time. I got convinced , bought the draft by paying him Rs 13,500", he said, adding recently he received a phone from regional Centre and was shocked. "I was informed by the official to submit bank draft or your admission will be canceled", he said.
Sources at regional centre claimed that such cases have been reported, for a long time. "Authorities are tied-lip over the matter, the incidents of selling, stolen bank drafts from admission forms have been reported", they added.
Expressing shock over the anarchy prevailing in the regional centre, they said that being crime committed by an official, the matter was brought into notice of the higher authorities, but unfortunately they tried to hush-up the case.
When contacted, Regional Director IGNOU, KK Bhat said that the matter is being sorted-out, the students have not to pay fee again. "He was a security guard, hired from a security agency, and the concerned agency had agreed to pay fee, fleeced from innocent student by the guard", he added. |
