NEET paper leak case update: CBI denies speculative, false media reports

New Delhi: Following the controversy surrounding NEET 2024 conduct this year, the CBI has denied speculative and false reports in a section of the media on the NEET paper leak case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation in a statement on Thursday said that CBI has come across reports in a section of the media about the CBI investigation of the NEET 2024 Examination case which have been speculative, misinformed and false. It is advised that the publication of such reports may be completely avoided as that creates an unfounded web of misinformation/opinions. This is not only harmful to the esteemed readers/audience in particular but also to the society in general, quotes ANI.

CBI has been investigating into the allegations of theft and leakage of NEET UG 2024 Question paper since June 23 this year, after taking over the Case registered at Shastrinagar Police Station (Patna), Bihar.

Investigation has revealed that NEET (UG) - 2024 Question Paper was illicitly accessed from the Oasis School, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, on 05.05.2024, in the morning by one Pankaj Kumar alias Aditya alias Sahil, who is one of the masterminds of the NEET Paper leak case in connivance with the Hazaribagh NTA City Coordinator Cum Principal of Oasis School and the Centre Superintendent of Oasis School Cum Vice Principal of the Oasis School and another associate from Hazaribagh. Pankaj who was absconding was traced and arrested.

The school principal, vice principal and the associate have been arrested. The recovered pieces of half-burnt question papers enabled CBI to reach the designated NEET examination centre from where it leaked.

The trunks containing the NEET UG 2024 question papers were brought to the school and kept in the control room in the morning of May 5. Minutes after the trunks arrived, the above-said Principal and Vice Principal unauthorisedly and illegally allowed access to the room where the trunks were kept, to the mastermind named above. The sophisticated tools used to open the trunk and access the question papers from the trunk have been seized.

After gaining unauthorised access to the NEET question paper, the same was got solved at Hazaribagh through a set of solvers on the morning of 5th May 2024 and the solved paper was shared with certain selected students who paid money to the accused. All the solvers, who are MBBS students from reputed colleges, have been identified and most of them arrested. These solvers were specially brought to Hazaribagh as part of the conspiracy.

The accused Pankaj perpetrated this crime along with a few other masterminds who have been identified and many of them arrested. This group was actively assisted by a set of accused persons who arranged places for housing the candidates, another set of accused were involved in mobilising and ferrying the candidates. The candidates who gained access to the solved question paper are being traced and necessary action is being taken.

After the taking over of the case, CBI has so far conducted searches at 33 places. So far 36 persons have been arrested in this case, including 15 by Bihar Police. Several incriminating evidence have been gathered so far. The investigation is continuing on a day-to-day basis.

NEET Controversy

This year's NEET UG 2024 exam was mired in controversies after a paper leak scam came to light. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that around 13 people, including four examinees and their family members, were arrested in Bihar for their alleged involvement in the paper leak of the NEET-UG exam. Patna police sources had previously claimed that the NEET-UG question papers along with their answers were provided to around 20 aspirants a day before the date of the exam i.e. May 5, 2024.

Then, the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police, which took over the investigation, revealed that the brokers involved in the NEET paper leak scam took between Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh from each of the medical aspirants in exchange for giving them the question paper of the NEET UG 2024 question paper ahead of the examination.

Multiple pleas have been filed before the High Courts and the Supreme Court seeking an investigation into the alleged paper leak scam. Some of the pleas demanded the scrapping of the NEET UG 2024 exam and holding a retest.

Meanwhile, during the case proceedings, NTA earlier decided to withdraw the grace marks awarded to 1563 candidates and hold an optional retest for those candidates. Those who did not opt for the retest were allowed to retain their original marks, without the grace marks.

The matter is now being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Central Government on June 22, 2024, handed over the charge of investigating in the alleged irregularities in the NEET UG 2024 examination to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).