CBI Nabs Engineer Who Stole NEET-UG Question Paper from Trunk, Associate Caught

In a major breakthrough, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Pankaj Kumar, a civil engineer from NIT Jamshedpur, who allegedly stole the NEET-UG question paper from the trunk of the National Testing Agency (NTA) in Bihar’s Hazaribagh before it was leaked. Kumar, also known as Aaditya, was arrested from Patna, while his associate, Raju Singh, was caught in Jamshedpur.

According to sources, Kumar stole the paper, which was meant for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) exam, from the trunk of the NTA office in Hazaribagh. The paper was later leaked, and the CBI had earlier identified Hazaribagh as the origin of the leak. The investigation revealed that two sets of papers, which were dispatched from the State Bank of India (SBI) Hazaribagh to different centers, had their seals broken. Instead of reporting the issue, the staff at Oasis school in Hazari Bagh remained silent, allowing the leak to occur.

The CBI probe found that the paper was leaked by Oasis school, which was also the center where the principal, Dr. Ehsanul Haque, was the district coordinator for the NEET-UG exam, and the vice-principal, Imtiaz Alam, was the center coordinator. The agency had registered several First Information Reports (FIRs) and made nearly 60 arrests so far in connection with the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam.

The NEET-UG exam, conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses, was held on May 5 this year. The exam has been marred by controversy, with allegations of cheating and impersonation. The CBI FIR from Bihar pertains to paper leaks, while those registered in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra are linked to impersonation and cheating.

The exam was conducted at 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including 14 abroad, and over 23 lakh candidates appeared for the test. Interestingly, 67 students scored a perfect 720 in this year’s exam, a record in the NTA’s history. However, the number of students sharing the top rank was reduced to 61 after the NTA announced revised results on July 1, following a retest for 1,563 candidates. Forty-eight percent of students who were scheduled to retake the exam on June 24 did not turn up, while 52 percent gave the retest.

The CBI is also probing allegations of paper leaks, which have been a major concern in the exam. The agency’s investigation has revealed that the leak had its genesis in Hazaribagh, and the staff at Oasis school failed to report the broken seals, allowing the leak to occur. The case was later taken over by the Bihar Economic Offences Unit (EOU).