How and where was the NEET paper leaked?
Pankaj Kumar, the mastermind behind the National Entrance cum Eligibility Test (NEET) question paper leak, in connivance with the principal and vice-principal of Oasis School in Hazaribagh, obtained the question paper a few hours before the start of the exam on May 5, solved it and sent it to candidates who had paid money. CBI gave this information.
Giving details of the investigation done so far in the NEET question paper leak case, the CBI said that Kumar, one of the alleged masterminds, had written to the Principal of Oasis School, National Examination Agency (NEET).NTA) district coordinator Ehsanul Haque and vice-principal and centre superintendent Imtiyaz Alam perpetrated the crime, the agency said, adding that all three have been arrested.
The CBI said it could identify the centre on the basis of half-burnt papers recovered from a hostel in Patna. “The boxes containing NEET UG 2024 question papers were brought to the school and kept in the control room on the morning of 05-05-2024. Within minutes of the arrival of the boxes, the Principal and Vice-Principal unauthorisedly and illegally allowed Sutradhar to enter the room where the boxes were kept,” a spokesperson of the central agency said.
The spokesperson said that on the morning of the exam, a group of students studying MBBS at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Patna, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) Ranchi and a medical college in Bharatpur solved the question paper. The agency has arrested seven alleged paper solvers in the case. He said, “The solved question paper was shared with a select few students who paid the accused. All the question solvers are MBBS students in reputed colleges and they have been identified. Most of them have been arrested.
Those who solved the question paper were specially brought to Hazaribagh as part of a conspiracy
The question paper solvers were brought to Hazaribagh specifically as part of a conspiracy. He said other members of the gang working with Kumar have been identified and some of them have been arrested. “This group was actively assisted by a group of accused who arranged for the stay of the candidates, another group of accused was involved in gathering and transporting the candidates,” he said.
The agency has arrested 36 people so far
The candidates who were provided with solved question papers are being traced and necessary action is being taken. The agency has arrested 36 people so far. In a major setback to the unsuccessful candidates of NEET-UG 2024, the Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the petitions seeking cancellation and re-conduct of the questionable exam. The apex court said that there is no evidence on record to conclude that it has been ‘tainted’ due to ‘systemic violation’ of its sanctity.