Who are the men behind NEET-UG paper leak
What's the story
The Bihar Police's Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) arrested 13 people, including four National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) aspirants, on the eve of the exam last month after receiving a tip-off about a potential paper leak.
When the results were declared on June 4, the case, which was kept at the backburner, would blow wide open, with students alleging paper leaks and last-minute implementation of grace marks for lost time.
Among the 13 arrested, four men are accused of being "main setters."
Confessions
Details emerge in NEET-UG paper leak case
They are Anurag Yadav, a student aspirant; Sikandar Yadavendu, a junior engineer at Danapur municipal council; and two accomplices, Nitish Kumar and Amit Anand.
All four have confessed to their involvement in the scandal.
During questioning, Anurag admitted to receiving and memorizing exam questions a day before the test, claiming his uncle, Sikandar, assured him that the exam was "all sorted."
He also admitted that the leaked question paper handed to him matched the actual exam question paper.
Investigation update
Investigation progresses with questioning and arrests
Like Anurag, Nitish and Amit also claimed that they received the question paper a day before their exam and were made to memorize it.
Amit also told cops that the question papers were sold to students.
"I told Sikandar that I can leak the paper of any competitive exam...Sikandar then told me that he had 4-5 candidates who are preparing for NEET...I told him that it would cost ₹30-32 lakh. Sikandar agreed," Amit said.
Crimes
How main accused was caught
These charges were also confirmed by Sikandar himself.
He admitted during interrogation to arranging accommodation for his nephew, Anurag, and Anurag's mother at a guest house in Patna, where they allegedly received access to the question paper.
According to the Indian Express, Sikandar was caught when police discovered burned exam papers in a residence in Patna's Rajbanshi Nagar neighborhood.
He also told police that Nitish and Amit demanded ₹30-32 lakh per student for the NEET question paper.
Allegations
Political connections and further involvement uncovered
"I told them I have four students taking the test. Out of greed, I told each student that they need to pay ₹40 lakh for the question paper," Sikandar said.
On Thursday, Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister, Vijay Sharma, accused his predecessor, Tejashwi Yadav, of being linked to the controversy.
Sinha claimed that Sikandar is closely related to Pritam Kumar, Tejashwi's personal secretary.
However, the EOW found no evidence of Pritam's involvement in the case.
Repeat offenders
Other participants identified
Other individuals arrested are Bittu Kumar, Roshan Kumar, Ashutosh Kumar, and several candidates and their parents who allegedly approached the 'main setters.'
Following the controversy, the Union Education Ministry ordered EOW to submit a detailed report on the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2024 in Patna.
The ministry also formed a high-level committee to review the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the NEET.