NEET fraud: Ahmedabad Court denies bail to 2 accused who allegedly promised retest paper via Telegram
Ahmedabad: In connection with the NEET paper scandal, an Ahmedabad city sessions court has denied bail to two accused individuals who were arrested by the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch in June.
The two accused were identified as a resident of Jaipur and a resident of Kota. Both are accused of promising to provide the Re-NEET question paper via Telegram channels.
According to the TOI media news report, the accused stated in their bail plea that there is no evidence to prove they earned money by selling exam papers via Telegram channels.
They stated that their role was limited to creating a channel on the app, fixing the rates for the papers, and collecting payments via a scanner. They also argued that the complaint made no mention of any commission being deposited into their accounts.
However, Public Prosecutor Sudhir Brahmbhatt opposed the bail pleas, stating that the investigation revealed the accused used to lure students with the promise of providing Re-NEET papers via Telegram channels and charged them amounts ranging from ₹60,000 to ₹10 lakh.
After hearing the submissions, Sessions Judge J I Patel refused bail to the accused and said, “The prosecution has expressed apprehension that if released on bail, the accused might flee. Considering all the details, pending investigation, and looking at the gravity of the alleged offence, the court does not find it proper to exercise its discretion.”
Following their arrest in June, it was revealed that they had allegedly contacted over 1,000 mobile numbers and Telegram IDs within a month and collected money by promising to provide question papers and other confidential information related to the examination.
The police claimed that no NEET question paper or confidential exam material was recovered from them, suggesting that the racket might have been based entirely on fraudulent claims.
