NEET UG Case: CBI arrests 'mastermind' who stole question paper & 2 from solver gang

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested one of the masterminds behind alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG medical entrance exam.

In the NEET-UG case, the question paper was allegedly leaked and several applicants had undue advantage as they had bought the paper.

So far, the CBI has arrested 21 people in six cases related to the matter, including the three people arrested on Saturday, reported PTI.

The three people arrested today include one of the two masterminds in the case Pankaj Kumar, said officials to the agency, adding that he is an engineer by profession and was arrested from National Testing Agency (NTA) trunk in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.

In addition to those who leaked the paper, the CBI has also busted the module that solved the paper and has arrested five medical students part of this ‘solver’ group, according to PTI.

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Solvers & leakers arrested by CBI

While Kumar had allegedly stolen the NEET-UG question paper, the other two arrested today are ‘solvers’ who provided the answers to the questions to applicants who had bought the stolen paper, said officials, identifying the two solvers as second-year medical student Kumar Mangalam Bishnoi and first-year student Deepender Sharma from a medical college in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur.

The officials said Bishnoi and Sharma were in Hazaribagh on the day the test was conducted.

Beside Pankaj, Rockey, who has also been arrested, is considered to be among the masterminds in the matter, as per the agency.

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The report further cited officials as saying that the CBI has also arrested Raju Singh, who allegedly helped Pankaj access the paper.

In Hazaribagh, another arrested accused, Surender Sharma, allegedly helped Pankaj.

1 FIR for paper leak, 5 for cheating

Since taking over the case, the CBI has filed six FIRs in the case.

One FIR is related to the leak of the question paper. This is the initial case in the matter that the CBI took over from the Bihar Police.

The other five FIRs have been registered in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra regarding irregularities in the conduct of the test, such as impersonation of candidates and cheating.