A complex cheating operation involving the NEET-UG 2024 examination has been uncovered, with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) identifying 144 candidates who allegedly paid for access to leaked exam papers just hours before the test, as per media reports.
The CBI’s investigation centers on Pankaj Kumar, a civil engineering graduate, who, with the help of two senior school officials in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, orchestrated the leak.
According to the CBI's latest charge sheet, Kumar gained access to the NEET-UG question papers at Oasis School, where the exam papers were stored. This was made possible with the cooperation of the school's principal, Ahsanul Haque, and vice-principal, Md Imtiyaz Alam, who were entrusted with overseeing the exam. Haque, acting as the city coordinator for the National Testing Agency (NTA), and Alam, who was the designated center superintendent, allowed Kumar into the secure room where the papers were kept. Using a sophisticated toolkit, Kumar allegedly tampered with the trunk containing the exam papers, took photographs of one, and resealed the container to avoid detection.
The stolen paper was then sent to Kumar’s accomplice, Surendra Kumar Sharma, who was waiting at a guest house in Hazaribagh. There, a group of nine medical students quickly solved the paper. The completed answers were electronically distributed to several locations where candidates who had paid for the leaked materials were given access. These candidates, who had made payments in advance, were reportedly allowed to pick up the solved papers and then proceed to their exam centers after midday, without being allowed to take any copies with them.
To cover their tracks, the gang members burned the solved papers after the candidates left. However, the CBI discovered a half-burnt piece of paper at a hostel in Patna, where several candidates had been staying. This crucial evidence, along with other leads, helped investigators trace the conspiracy back to Oasis School.
The CBI’s investigation has been thorough, involving the testimony of 298 witnesses and hundreds of documents. Over 5,500 pages of evidence outline the scale of the operation, which saw numerous candidates gaining unfair advantage through leaked papers. The investigation also revealed that the main accused disposed of mobile phones used during the crime by dumping them in various water bodies, though the CBI managed to recover 21 of these devices.
So far, 49 individuals have been arrested in connection with the paper leak, including key conspirators and those involved in solving the exam paper. Legal action is being initiated against the 144 identified candidates who benefited from the scam. The investigation continues, as the CBI works to bring all those involved in the conspiracy to justice.
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