The NEET-UG paper leak accused exercised extreme caution, targeting only 120 candidates who gave them initial money and post-dated cheques amounting to Rs 20 lakh in case of selection, according to sources from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is carrying out the probe.
“The accused did this job very carefully and were aware of the possibility of mass leak. They deliberately did not give access to a large group of people. They knew if the paper leaked on any communication app, it could go viral and ultimately lead to cancellation of the exam. They also refrained from contacting any institution," said sources.
Sources said the accused entered the room at 8:02 am and exited at 9:23 am after taking pictures of papers, repacking and resealing the bundle. “There was no social media transfer or printout. One person came and solved the paper completely," said sources.
CBI sources said the leak could not cause much damage, except at the four spots, but in that case, too, the students couldn’t take much advantage of it, as they were not so bright and owing to shortage of time. “The role of the National Testing Agency (NTA) will be decided by a committee. We have concluded a part of round-up investigation and we will move to investigate the larger conspiracy," said sources.
The central probe agency, which is investigating the alleged irregularities into the medical entrance exam, has lodged six First Information Reports (FIR). The FIR from Bihar pertains to paper leaks, while the remaining from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra are regarding impersonation of candidates and cheating.
The agency’s FIR, on a reference from the Union Education Ministry, pertains to a “comprehensive investigation" into the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024.
ACTION SO FAR
The CBI on Saturday arrested an NIT-Jamshedpur B-Tech graduate and two MBBS students in the paper leak case. The two MBBS students – Kumar Mangalam Bishnoi (2nd year) and Deepender Sharma (1st year) — are from a medical school in Rajasthan. The agency believes that they had solved the exam papers stolen by Pankaj Kumar, an engineer, from an NTA trunk in Hazaribagh.
The arrested accused were part of the solver module in which five MBBS students have already been arrested. The answers were handed over to NEET-UG aspirants who had availed the services of the gang, according to the CBI. The preliminary probe also revealed that the two “solvers" were present in Hazaribagh on May 5, the date the NEET-UG examination was conducted across the country.
With the arrests, the total number of people held so far by the agency in six cases related to the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam reached 21.
The NEET-UG is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions. This year, the exam was conducted on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 abroad. More than 23 lakh candidates took the test.
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