The CBI team probing the NEET-UG paper leak case has been camping in Hazaribagh for the past two days to collect more evidence. On Thursday, the team along with three suspects visited a few places.
Sources said Pankaj Kumar alias Aditya, a resident of Bokaro and a civil engineer arrested on charges of stealing the NEET-UG paper from the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) trunk in Hazaribagh, and Raju Singh, who helped him in stealing the paper, were present with the team along with one member of solver gang.
The CBI team has been investigating two suspected locations in Hazaribagh, Oasis School and Raj Guest House. The CBI has already arrested principal of the Oasis School, Ahsanul Haque, and vice-principal Imtiaz Alam.
On July 16, the CBI had sealed the Raj Guest House at Ramnagar locality under the Katkamdag police station when Mr. Pankaj Kumar and Mr. Raju Singh were arrested. On Thursday, the CBI team entered the Raj Guest House after opening the seal. There were 12 members in the team who entered the guest house, and security forces from the Bihar police were also present.
The CBI brought all three accused with them. Raju is the owner of Raj Guest House. The CBI was inside the guest house for around three hours. Even a forensic team was present to collect evidence. The CBI team seized some documents from the guest house.
Before leaving, the CBI once again sealed the guest house. On Wednesday the CBI team searched the premises of Oasis School and two suspects were also present with the team.
The CBI has been investigating into the allegations of theft and leakage of NEET UG 2024 question paper since June 23, 2024, subsequent to taking over of the Case No. 358/2024, dated 05.05.2024, registered under Sections 407/408/409/120(B) of the IPC, at the Shastrinagar police station (Patna), Bihar. By issuing a press note, the CBI for the first time shared the details of the case and arrests made so far.
“Investigation has revealed that NEET (UG) - 2024 question paper was illicitly accessed from the Oasis School, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, on May 5, 2024 in the morning by one Pankaj Kumar alias Aditya alias Sahil, who is one of the masterminds of the NEET Paper leak case in connivance with the Hazaribagh NTA city coordinator-cum-Principal of Oasis School and the Centre Superintendent-cum-Vice Principal of the Oasis School and another associate from Hazaribagh,” a CBI official said in the press note.
The CBI official said the recovered pieces of half burnt question papers enabled the agency to reach the designated NEET examination centre from where it leaked.
Illegal access
“The trunks containing the NEET UG 2024 question papers were brought to the school and kept in the control room on the morning of May 5, 2024. Minutes after the trunks arrived, the Principal and Vice Principal unauthorisedly and illegally allowed access to the room where the trunks were kept, to the mastermind. The sophisticated tools used to open the trunk and access the question papers from the trunk have been seized,” the CBI official said.
After gaining unauthorised access to the NEET question paper, the same was solved at Hazaribagh through a set of solvers on the morning of May 5, 2024 and the solved paper was shared with certain selected students who paid money to the accused.
All the solvers, who are MBBS students from reputed colleges, have been identified and most of them arrested. These solvers were specially brought to Hazaribagh as part of the conspiracy.
“The accused Pankaj perpetrated this crime along with a few other masterminds who have been identified and many of them arrested. This group was actively assisted by a set of accused persons who arranged places for housing the candidates, another set of accused were involved in mobilising and ferrying the candidates. The candidates who gained access to the solved question paper are being traced and necessary action is being taken, “the CBI official said.
The CBI official also said that subsequent to the taking over of the case, the Central agency has so far conducted searches at 33 places and arrested 36 persons in the case, including 15 by the Bihar police. Several incriminating pieces of evidence have been gathered so far. The investigation is continuing on a day-to-day basis.
Published - July 25, 2024 10:02 pm IST
