Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: In a significant breakthrough, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Pankaj Kumar, an engineer, and his associate Raju Singh for allegedly stealing and leaking NEET-UG question papers. Kumar was apprehended in Patna while Singh was arrested in Jamshedpur, sources confirmed.
Pankaj Kumar, also known as Aaditya, graduated from NIT Jamshedpur with a degree in civil engineering in 2017. His accomplice, Raju Singh, was reportedly responsible for distributing the leaked papers.
The CBI investigation identified Hazaribagh in Bihar as the origin of the NEET-UG paper leak. The papers were reportedly stolen from the trunk of the National Testing Agency (NTA) before being leaked. The Oasis School in Hazaribagh emerged as a key location in the probe, with evidence indicating that the seals of two sets of question papers dispatched from SBI Hazaribagh were broken upon arrival at the school. Instead of reporting the breach, the school staff remained silent, implicating them in the scandal.
“Nine sets of question papers were dispatched from SBI Hazaribagh to different centers. The ones that reached Oasis School had their seals broken. The staff there did not raise an alarm, establishing their role,” a senior CBI official revealed.
Further investigation led to searches at Learn and Play School in Patna, where burnt papers were recovered. The case was subsequently handed over to the Bihar Economic Offences Unit (EOU).
On June 21, the NTA confirmed that the code on the papers found at Oasis School matched those of the leaked exam papers.
Dr. Ehsanul Haque, the principal of Oasis School and the district coordinator for NEET-UG in Hazaribagh, along with Vice-Principal Imtiaz Alam, the center coordinator, have also come under scrutiny in the ongoing investigation.
The CBI, which is probing irregularities in the medical entrance exam, has registered multiple FIRs and made nearly 60 arrests to date. The NEET-UG exam, conducted by the NTA for admissions to various medical and health-related courses, took place on May 5 this year.
Allegations of cheating and impersonation have plagued the exam, with FIRs in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra relating to these issues. This year’s exam saw 67 students scoring a perfect 720, raising suspicions of irregularities. The number of top-ranked candidates was later reduced to 61 after a retest for 1,563 students on June 24. Of these, 813 attended while 750 skipped the retest.
The NEET-UG exam, held at 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including 14 abroad, had more than 23 lakh candidates. The CBI continues to investigate the allegations of paper leaks, aiming to bring all involved to justice.
