CBI NEET Paper leak Probe: 2 MBBS students who allegedly solved papers arrested among 3
Patna: In the latest update on the NEET paper leak case, the CBI has arrested 2 MBBS students among 3 accused in connection with the ongoing investigation. According to the media reports, the said medical students are from Rajasthan's Bharatpur Medical College and they acted as 'solvers'.
Speaking to PTI, the CBI sources said, "The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested three more persons in Patna in connection with the ongoing investigation into the NEET UG paper leak case. Two among the three arrested persons, identified as Kumar Manglam Bishnoi and Deepender Kumar are students of Bharatpur Medical College... The technical surveillance has confirmed their presence in Hazaribagh on the day of the exam."
Also Read:NEET paper leak case update: CBI arrests RIMS MBBS student who 'solved' papers
They further said that the third accused, identified as Shashi Kumar Paswan, who was also arrested today was providing all kinds of support to the kingpin.
They said that the two MBBS students arrested on Saturday -- Bishnoi (2nd year) and Sharma (1st year) -- are from a medical college in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, and they solved the exam papers stolen by Pankaj Kumar, an engineer, from a National Testing Agency trunk in Hazaribagh, reports Republic world.
Earlier, the CBI arrested a first-year MBBS student of Ranchi's Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) for allegedly being part of a 'solver module' working with an engineer who had stolen the NEET 2024 question papers. It is alleged that Kumari was the fifth member of the 'solver module' which was present in Hazaribagh in the morning of May 5, the NEET-UG examination day, to solve the paper stolen by Pankaj Kumar, officials had informed PTI.
On the same day in neighbouring Bihar, the CBI had arrested four MBBS students of AIIMS Patna as part of their investigation into the paper leak case.
Medical Dialogues team earlier reported the arrest of 2 individuals including a key accused for allegedly stealing the NEET question paper from a National Testing Agency's (NTA) trunk in Hazaribagh in Jharkhand.
With the two arrests, the total number of persons arrested in connection with cases pertaining to leakage, impersonation and other irregularities in the medical entrance exam has now reached 14.
The agency arrested Pankaj Kumar alias Aditya, a 2017-batch civil engineer from the National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, who allegedly stole the NEET-UG paper from the NTA trunk in Hazaribagh.
The CBI also arrested one Raju Singh who allegedly helped Kumar in stealing the paper and passing them on to other gang members. Singh was arrested from Hazaribagh.
The CBI, which is probing the alleged irregularities in the medical-entrance exam, has lodged six FIRs. The FIR from Bihar pertains to paper leak while the remaining ones from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra are regarding impersonation of candidates and cheating.
The agency’s own FIR on a reference from the Union education ministry pertains to a “comprehensive investigation” into the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024.
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).
Earlier, while considering the NEET-related pleas, the Supreme Court had refused to defer the counselling/seat allotment process scheduled to commence on July 6. However, the bench had orally observed that the admissions would be subject to the final outcome of the petitions and if the exams were set aside, the counselling would get invalidated consequentially.
The Top Court had also expressed its concern over the alleged discrepancies in the NEET UG 2024 exam. The Court had noted that even '0.001& negligence' in conducting the NEET-UG 2024 exams would be looked into with all seriousness considering the immense labor put in by the candidates for the prestigious examination.
