Two more arrested in NEET paper leak case
Headlines
- The question paper was stolen from NTA’s trunk in Hazaribagh.
- CBI arrested two including the main accused.
- Till now 14 people have been arrested.
NEET-UG paper leak: The CBI has arrested two people, including a key accused in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) paper leak case, who had allegedly stolen the question paper from the trunk of the national examination agency in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.
How many people have been arrested so far?
With these two arrests, the total number of persons arrested in cases related to leak, impersonation and other irregularities in the medical entrance examination has now reached 14, officials said.
civil engineer arrested
The agency has arrested Pankaj Kumar alias Aditya, a civil engineer of the 2017 batch of National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur, who allegedly stole the NEET-UG question paper from the trunk of the National Examination Agency (NTA) in Hazaribagh, officials said. Kumar, a resident of Bokaro, was arrested from Patna, they said.
He said the CBI has also arrested another person named Raju Singh who allegedly helped Kumar steal the question paper and give it to other members of the gang. Singh was arrested from Hazaribagh.
Six FIRs have been registered so far
The agency probing alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam has registered six FIRs. The FIR lodged in Bihar pertains to leakage of question paper, while the remaining FIRs lodged in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra relate to cheating and impersonation of candidates. The agency’s own FIR, on a reference from the Union education ministry, pertains to a “comprehensive investigation” into alleged irregularities in the exam.
NEET-UG is conducted by the NTA for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions. This year the exam was held on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 foreign cities. More than 23 lakh candidates appeared for the exam.