On Wednesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Aman Singh, a significant conspirator in the NEET-UG paper leak, in Dhanbad, Jharkhand. This marks the seventh arrest by the agency in the ongoing investigation of the NEET-UG exam 2024.
Earlier, on Sunday, June 30, the agency apprehended Dixit Patel, the owner of a private school in Godhra, Gujarat, for alleged malpractices in the NEET-UG 2024 exam. Patel, the sixth person arrested in this case, was detained early Sunday morning at his residence in Panchmahal district.
Patel’s Jay Jalaram School, one of the designated NEET-UG exam centers, is accused of being the hub of fraudulent activities related to the exam held on May 5. Patel allegedly demanded ₹10 lakh from each of at least 27 candidates to help them pass the test. According to Gujarat Police, he instructed candidates not to attempt questions if they were unsure of the answers.
A preliminary investigation by the CBI revealed that Patel advised candidates seeking to use illegal methods to obtain high scores in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-Under Graduate) to select Jay Jalaram School as their exam center.
On Saturday, June 29, the CBI arrested Jamaluddin Ansari, the fifth suspect in the NEET-UG question paper leak case, following the arrest of the principal and vice-principal of Oasis School in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.
Ansari, a marketing professional with a Hindi media organization, has a brother, Salauddin, who works at the same organization as a bureau chief.
On Friday, the agency arrested Dr. Ehsanul Haque, principal of Oasis School, and his deputy Imtiaz Alam. Haque, the district coordinator for the NEET exam in Hazaribag, and Alam, the exam center superintendent at Oasis School and a National Testing Agency (NTA) observer, were implicated in the case. Additionally, two individuals who provided safe premises for NEET candidates, where burnt question papers were recovered by Bihar Police, were also arrested.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, addressed the situation, stating that the central government was tackling the crisis affecting medical aspirants across the country with urgency. PM Modi assured strict action against those jeopardizing the future of India’s youth, emphasizing, “The government is very serious about preventing such incidents and we are taking steps on a war footing. Those who play with the future of the youth will not be spared.”
