NEET-UG paper leak: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Aman Singh, an alleged co-conspirator in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) question paper leak case, from Dhanbad in Jharkhand, officials said on Wednesday. Singh was arrested after the CBI received intelligence about a module active in Jharkhand allegedly involved in the question paper leak, officials said. This is the sixth arrest made by the central agency in connection with the case, officials said.
What did the accused do?
The agency had earlier arrested the principal, vice-principal and two persons who allegedly provided the flat for NEET aspirants to stay in Hazaribagh, from where the Bihar police recovered burnt question papers, officials said. A senior CBI official confirmed the arrest of two men named Manish Prakash and Ashutosh. The arrested persons were found to be operating from Patna.
The official said that accused Ashutosh was arranging safe house premises for the students while the other accused Manish used to take the candidates to a school for preparation. Manish Prakash used to ferry the students in his car while the students were lodged at Ashutosh’s house, the CBI official said. The CBI has registered six FIRs in the case. The FIR lodged in Bihar is related to the leak of question paper while the FIRs lodged in Gujarat and Rajasthan are related to cheating and impersonation of the candidate.
The exam was held at 4750 centers in 571 cities
National Examination Agency (NTA) conducts NEET-UG for admission 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 centers in 571 cities, including 14 foreign cities. About 24 lakh candidates appeared in this exam. A total of 67 students scored full 720 marks, which is unprecedented in the history of NTA. Six students of a coaching center in Haryana scored full 720 marks, which raised suspicion of irregularities in the exam. It is alleged that 67 students scored full 720 marks due to grace marks.
Investigation handed over to CBI
Earlier last month, the central government handed over the investigation into irregularities in the NEET-UG case to the CBI. The CBI registered several FIRs related to paper leaks, cheating by candidates. The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the NEET-UG exam, has been facing criticism over alleged irregularities. This has led to a wave of protests across the country, with protesters and political parties demanding the dissolution of the NTA.