CBI identifies 144 candidates in NEET-UG exam paper leak; 49 arrested in ongoing investigation

The Central Bureau of Investigation has identified 144 candidates who allegedly paid for access to leaked and solved NEET-UG exam papers just hours before the exam, officials reported on Monday.

The CBI named Pankaj Kumar, a civil engineering graduate from the 2017 batch of the National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur, in its third charge sheet filed last week. Kumar allegedly stole the papers from Oasis School in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, in collusion with the school’s Principal Ahsanul Haque and Vice-Principal Md Imtiyaz Alam.

Haque was the city coordinator for Hazaribagh, while Alam served as the centre superintendent designated by the National Testing Agency for the NEET UG-2024 examination.

How did the NEET-UG exam paper leak happen?

The CBI noted that Haque and Alam permitted Kumar to access the room where the trunks containing the question papers were stored. Inside, Kumar allegedly tampered with the hinges of a trunk, removed one paper, and photographed its pages before resealing the trunk.

"Pankaj used a sophisticated toolkit to open and reseal the trunk, which was later seized by the CBI from his residence," the central probe agency stated.

The crime is said to have occurred on May 5, the day of the examination, after trunks containing the question papers arrived at the school from a bank vault post 8 in the morning.

After leaving the school, Kumar allegedly shared the photos of the question paper with his accomplice, Surendra Kumar Sharma, who was waiting at the Raj Guest House in Hazaribagh. Nine medical students—Karan Jain, Kumar Shanu, Rahul Anand, Chandan Singh, Surbhi Kumari, Deependra Sharma, Raunak Raj, Sandeep Kumar, and Amit Kumar—reportedly solved these papers at the guest house.

The solved papers were then allegedly scanned and sent electronically to various locations where they were printed and distributed to candidates who had paid substantial sums for access to the leaked materials.

"Only those who had paid in advance were allowed entry to these locations," a CBI spokesperson explained. Candidates were permitted to leave for their exam centres after 12:15 PM but were prohibited from taking printed copies with them.

The CBI's charge sheet, which spans over 5,500 pages, outlines findings based on 298 witnesses, 290 documents, and 45 material objects, and details the modus operandi of the group involved in the leak.

What happened to the NEET-UG leaked exam papers?

Gang members reportedly burned the solved papers after the candidates left, and the CBI alleged that candidates were frisked upon exiting and were not allowed to carry mobile phones.

A half-burnt piece of paper was recovered from a hostel in Patna where some aspirants were lodging. The serial number on it led the agency to Oasis School, revealing the full extent of the conspiracy.

The central agency has identified 144 candidates who benefited from the paper leak and is initiating legal action against them. Additionally, 21 mobile phones used by the main accused have been recovered from various water bodies with the assistance of divers.

So far, the CBI has arrested 49 individuals, including key conspirators and solvers, with 40 of them charge-sheeted in three reports submitted to date.

(With PTI inputs)