This is an archive article published on September 16, 2022
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SIT formed for probe: Lookout notice issued against key accused in IELTS scam
The IELTS scam came to light when four candidates from Mehsana — Neil Patel, Dhruv Patel, Urvesh Patel and Swanendra Patel — and two others were caught illegally crossing the freezing St Regis river from Canada into the US on April 28 when their boat began sinking and were rescued by the American police.
Three accused, Gokul Menon, Sawant Fernandes and Sunny Patel, were taken into judicial custody earlier this month from Ahmedabad for their alleged role in helping four persons from Mehsana’s villages fake their IELTS scores and immigrate illegally to the US from Canada.
Mehsana police on Thursday issued a lookout notice for one of the main accused in the IELTS case, Amit Chaudhary, even as a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been appointed to investigate the case.
“It is not confirmed whether he (Amit Chaudhary) is in the country or has he left abroad. But as of now we have issued the lookout notice. We are questioning his driver, Narendra Chaudhary, who we have taken in our custody this (Thursday) afternoon,” said Nilesh Ghetiya, the Investigating Officer of the case.
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According to Ghetiya, a three-member Special Investigating Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the case.
“The team includes Ramesh Desai, the Deputy Superintendent of Police Mehsana as the supervising officer, Janak Rao, a local crime branch police sub-inspector as the assisting officer and Ghetiya as the investigating officer.”
The IELTS scam came to light when four candidates from Mehsana — Neil Patel, Dhruv Patel, Urvesh Patel and Swanendra Patel — and two others were caught illegally crossing the freezing St Regis river from Canada into the US on April 28 when their boat began sinking and were rescued by the American police.
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The said IELTS exam took place in Navsari on September 25, 2021, by the Planet EDU Ahmedabad.
According to police, Chaudhary, who hails from Sargasan in Gandhinagar, is said to be the link between the students and the others involved in the case.
Three accused, Gokul Menon, Sawant Fernandes and Sunny Patel, were taken into judicial custody earlier this month from Ahmedabad for their alleged role in helping four persons from Mehsana’s villages fake their IELTS scores and immigrate illegally to the US from Canada.
Menon and Fernandes were the proxy writers in the IELTS exam which took place in Navsari on September 25, 2021, and Patel was the invigilator from the Planet EDU Ahmedabad.
As per the FIR (September 4), the two rooms which were booked in Hotel Fun City in Navsari from September 24 – September 26 in 2021, accommodated Amit Chaudhary and Narendra Chaudhary, along with two girls from Mizoram, while the IELTS exam was held in the same hotel. Narendra Chaudhary is not among the 45 booked in the FIR.
Three accused, Gokul Menon, Sawant Fernandes and Sunny Patel, were taken into judicial custody earlier this month from Ahmedabad for their alleged role in helping four persons from Mehsana’s villages fake their IELTS scores and immigrate illegally to the US from Canada. 
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