CBI arrests two accused from Patna in NEET-UG paper leak case

New Delhi (TIP)- The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has taken up the probe into alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG, made its first arrests on Thursday, June 27, by nabbing two persons from Patna.
According to CBI officials, the arrested persons – Manish Prakash and Ashutosh Kumar – allegedly housed NEET aspirants at a school in Patna a day before the exam on May 4 and provided them with leaked question paper. The examinees were then made to memorise the answers before they appeared for the exam on May 5.
Prakash’s wife Archana told the Indian Express, “The CBI called me around 1:30 pm to say that my husband has been arrested. He is a social worker who would often help people with making stay arrangements for students. I had heard someone asking him on the phone to make arrangements for four to five students. We had no idea about the enormity of trouble he has now landed in.”
On the other hand, the central probe agency had tried to track the prime accused Sanjiv Mukhiya on Wednesday, but to no avail. Mukhiya is absconding from his village in Nalanda. The probe agency suspects that he may have fled to Nepal.
The CBI is said to have received more information on another accused, Sikandar Yadavendu, who has already been arrested by the Bihar Police. Yadavendu had allegedly introduced the four examinees to ‘setters’ Nitish Kumar and Amit Anand, the IE report said.
The CBI has registered six FIRs in the NEET paper leak case. The first CBI FIR was registered on June 23, a day after the Union education ministry announced it would hand over the probe into the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the exam to the Central agency.
Following the announcement of a CBI probe, the Bihar and Gujarat governments issued notifications to transfer their local NEET-UG “paper leak” cases to the central agency.
This year’s NEET-UG exam was conducted on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 abroad. Over 23 lakh candidates appeared for the test.
Following the declaration of results on June 4, there have been protests across the country over alleged irregularities in the conduct of the exam.
‘Source of NEET leak likely courier, transport firm staff’
The NEET-UG question paper for the May 5 entrance test may have been leaked on May 3 while being transported from the Ranchi airport to an office of courier company Blue Dart, and then to the Hazaribagh branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) with the help of employees of either the transport company or the courier agency, officials aware of the matter said.
Bihar Police’s Economic Offences Unit (EOU), which arrested 18 people and recorded the statements of SBI and Blue Dart employees, handed its case files to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which took over the case.
Police officers, who asked not to be named, said that those arrested – including members of a gang in Nalanda – have, in the past bribed employees of courier companies, drivers involved in transportation and photographed question papers en route to different exam centres.
Bihar Police have also shared with CBI details of their investigation that show how the 2024 NEET-UG question paper was driven first by a transport company driver for over a 100km route and then by an e-rickshaw to the bank for a distance of less than 2km.
“Police have shared statements of the Blue Dart company employees and bank officials with CBI which will question them soon,” one officer said.
The 2024 NEET-UG, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admissions to MBBS, BDS and other related undergraduate courses across India, has been beset with a series of allegations ranging from question paper leaks, inflated marking and arbitrary allowance of grace marks – issues that have become a nationwide flashpoint for political parties, leading to thousands of students protesting for weeks. This year’s examination was conducted on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 abroad with 2.3 million candidates appearing for it.
After a month of investigations in states like Bihar and Gujarat, the first FIR by CBI in the paper leak case was registered on Sunday, a day after the Union education ministry announced it would hand over the probe into the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the exam to the central agency.