CBI Cracks Down On NEET-UG Exam Paper Leak, Makes Several Arrests

The CBI has registered six FIRs and arrested key individuals, including MBBS students, in the NEET-UG paper leak case. The Supreme Court is hearing petitions regarding alleged irregularities in the exam.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG medical entrance exam and has registered six FIRs.

On Saturday, the CBI arrested a key mastermind and two MBBS students involved in the NEET-UG paper leak case, according to officials quoted by PTI.

Two "solvers" identified as Kumar Manglam Bishnoi and Deepender Kumar, both from Bharatpur Medical College, were apprehended. Technical surveillance confirmed their presence in Hazaribagh on the exam day. Bishnoi, a second-year student, and Sharma, a first-year student, allegedly acted as "solvers" for the stolen paper.

NEET-UG Paper Leak Investigation

Pankaj Kumar, an engineer arrested earlier, reportedly stole the NEET-UG paper from the NTA trunk in Hazaribagh. Pankaj Kumar alias Aditya is a 2017-batch civil engineer from NIT Jamshedpur, as reported by Hindustan Times. He collaborated with Sashikant Paswan alias Sashi alias Pasu, a B.Tech graduate from NIT Jamshedpur, and Rockey, who was also previously arrested.

On Friday, Surabhi Kumari, a first-year MBBS student at Ranchi's Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), was detained by the CBI for her involvement in a 'solver module'. She was taken into custody after two days of intensive questioning. RIMS PRO Rajiv Ranjan stated that hospital management fully cooperated with the CBI during their investigation.

Supreme Court Involvement

The Supreme Court is currently hearing multiple petitions regarding alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam. These include claims of paper leaks. The National Testing Agency (NTA) recently announced centre and city-wise results for NEET-UG following a Supreme Court directive.

This year’s NEET-UG exam took place on May 5 across 4,750 centres in 571 cities worldwide. Over 23 lakh candidates appeared for the test aimed at securing admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in both government and private institutions, as per Hindustan Times report.

Activists have protested against the National Testing Agency over these alleged irregularities at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, as per media reports. The central probe agency has so far arrested several individuals connected to these cases.

The investigation continues as more details emerge about those involved in this scandal. The authorities are determined to uncover all aspects of this case to ensure fairness in future examinations.