Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan Wednesday ordered the cancellation of Post-Graduate Medical Entrance Test conducted by Vijayawada-based NTR University of Health Sciences.

 

 An official statement said the cancellation was ordered on the basis of the report submitted by the Crime Investigation Department (CID), which probed the alleged irregularities.

 

 About 15,000 students took the March 2 examination for the 2,240-odd seats. The examination will be conducted afresh. The date will be announced soon, said the statement. The CID has already arrested nine people, including seven students and two middlemen. These students secured ranks ranging from two to 25.

 

 Many students complained that some candidates secured top ranks despite failing in some subjects in graduation while others fared poorly in PG entrance exams held in other states.

 

 According to the CID, the scam is spread across multiple cities, including Mumbai and Gurgaon, and police have identified involvement of a dozen people. The middlemen allegedly collected up to Rs 10 lakh as advance from students promising them the exam question paper and the answer key.

 

 The governor ordered the CID inquiry after a one-man committee, headed by the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education Chairman L. Venugopal Reddy, submitted its report.