EOU takes over NEET impersonation probe, 200 MBBS, nursing students suspected in dummy candidate racket
Crime
Patna: The Bihar Police's Economic Offences Unit (EOU) has taken over the investigation into the NEET UG re-examination impersonation case. The investigators estimate that nearly 200 dummy candidates, mostly MBBS students along with a few nursing students, were recruited from Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi to appear for the examination on behalf of actual candidates.
The case has become critical after preliminary findings indicated that the gang behind the impersonation racket allegedly managed to bypass the biometric verification system used during the June 21 NEET UG re-examination.
The June 21 NEET UG examination was conducted after the May 3 examination was cancelled due to a paper leak. The investigation began after Lakhisarai Police received intelligence inputs that dummy candidates from different states would appear in place of genuine applicants, which led to the arrest of 30 people, including MBBS students, biometric staff and other alleged accomplices.
Also read- NEET 2026 solver gang contacted over 200 aspirants, multi-state network under probe
ETV Bharat reported that the dummy candidates actually managed to appear across 331 examination centres in 35 cities in Bihar and an investigation is underway to determine how they did it and whether the same method was used in other states.
The probe will also focus on identifying the actual candidates who hired impersonators and the biometric verification staff who allegedly facilitated their entry.
Police sources estimate that the racket could have earned up to Rs 50 crore. The impersonators were allegedly promised a share of the money, while biometric verification personnel were reportedly paid Rs 20,000 for every fake candidate allowed to enter an examination centre.
The police also said that the arrested people had revealed that they had used the same method during the NEET exam held on May 3, which was later cancelled due to a paper leak. The police officials suspect that the gang had been using these tactics in medical examinations over the past three years.
Confirming the development, Lakhisarai Superintendent of Police (SP) Prerna Kumar said, "We have handed over the NEET UG impersonation case to the EOU due to its expertise in such matters. It will carry on further investigations. The EOU has taken over all the documents and case diaries related to the case.
When asked about the future course of investigation, EOU deputy inspector general (DIG) Manavjit Singh Dhillon told ETV Bharat, "We will provide information with regard to the case only through official press notes from time to time."
"Around 200 such dummy candidates – mostly MBBS students along with a few enrolled in nursing courses – were roped into the racket from eight states including Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi. They were to appear instead of the actual candidates. The investigation will focus on how many of them managed to appear in place of the real candidates across 331 examination centres in 35 cities of the state, and whether similar tactics were employed in any other state also. It will be an arduous and time-consuming task, and will involve probing from various aspects, including tracing the actual candidates, as well as the biometric company’s staff involved in authenticating the identity of the fake candidates," a police officer said.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the Bihar police busted an alleged solver gang that attempted to enter some NEET UG 2026 re-examination centres, leading to the arrest of 30 people, including MBBS students, biometric staff and other alleged accomplices.
The arrests were made in Bihar's Lakhisarai district after authorities received information that dummy candidates were appearing in the examination instead of genuine aspirants by using forged Aadhaar cards as ID cards during verification.
Among those arrested are nine alleged impersonators or "solvers." Police said these individuals were students from medical, nursing, dental and ayurvedic colleges located in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Delhi and Rajasthan.
The arrested persons also include an original NEET candidate from Nalanda and two MBBS students allegedly linked to the network. They have been reportedly identified as a fourth-year MBBS student at Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital (ANMMCH), Gaya, and a fourth-year MBBS student at Bhagwan Mahavir Institute of Medical Sciences (BMIMS), Nalanda.
Apart from the medical students, the Bihar police arrested 18 biometric staff members, including three supervisors and 15 operators from Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura and Nawada districts. One of the arrested biometric staff members is also a fourth-year MBBS student at Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH).
During the interrogation, the accused confessed that their gang had contacted more than 200 aspirants before the NEET examination.
The investigation has also brought the biometric verification process under scrutiny. According to police, the National Testing Agency (NTA) had awarded the biometric verification contract to EDCIL, which subcontracted the work to Innovative View.
However, it was noted that the company had previously been blacklisted in Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, and the EOU is expected to examine whether any of its senior officials were involved in the alleged racket.
According to the police, the biometrics of the real candidate were taken outside the examination centres. Dummy biometrics were taken of the ‘solver’ who went inside, and their thumb impressions were distorted to hide identity. If the machine rejected the thumb impressions, the company’s personnel used the manual bypass system to allow all the impersonators to sit in the exam.
