CBI makes first arrests in NEET paper leak case, 2 men nabbed from Patna

Patna: For the first time after the Bihar police transferred the NEET UG paper leak case to the Central Bureau of Investigation, the agency arrested two individuals from Patna today who have now been taken into custody.

According to the CBI officials, the accused, Manish Kumar and Ashutosh Kumar, allegedly provided safe premises to the aspirants before the NEET examination, where they were given leaked papers and answer keys, reports PTI.

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As per the latest TOI news report, Manish Kumar is considered the prime accused in the case who had allegedly booked a Learn and Play School in Khemni Chak in the city for a night to provide the leaked question papers to the aspirants. Earlier, Bihar police in their investigation found partially burnt question papers from a school.

The second accused in the case, Ashutosh is suspected of booking the school a day before the NEET UG exam on direction by Manish Kumar. According to the latest news report by NDTV, Manish assisted the students by providing transportation in his car, while also helping them memorize the leaked question papers. Simultaneously, Ashutosh offered accommodation for the students at his residence.

NDTV claims that at least two dozen students were called into the empty school by the accused a day before their NEET examination. 

Later, the duo were arrested after they were summoned for questioning. They are currently in the agency's custody. Meanwhile, the CBI is investigating how the leaked paper ended up at the school and the role of Manish Prakash and Ashutosh Kumar in the paper leak.

The CBI has registered six FIRs in the NEET paper leak case.

The NEET-UG is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH courses in government and private institutions across the country.

Medical Dialogues has been reporting about the NEET UG 2024 paper leak controversies. The allegations of paper leak first came to light in Bihar. 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.

Central Government on June 22, 2024, handed over the charge of investigation in the alleged irregularities in the NEET UG 2024 examination to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

"Certain cases of alleged irregularities / cheating / impersonation / malpractices have been reported. For transparency on the conduct of the examination process, the Ministry of Education, Government of India after a review has decided to entrust the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for comprehensive investigation," the Ministry of Education stated in a release.

Also read- NEET Controversy Updates: CBI To Seek Custody Of All Accused; Bihar-Linked Admits Recovered In Maharashtra