- By Kamal Kumar
- Sat, 20 Jul 2024 08:38 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
NEET CBI Inquiry: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday arrested three accused, including two MBBS students of Rajasthan's Bharatpur Medical College in connection with the Patna NEET-UG paper leak case. According to CBI, their presence was confirmed in Hazaribagh on the day of the NEET UG 2024 exam on May 5 with the help of technical surveillance.
Both the arrested students - Kumar Manglam Bishnoi and Deepender Kumar - were studying medical science at the Shree Jagannath Pahadia Medical College in Rajasthan's Bharatpur, ANI reported. The third accused Shashi Kumar Paswan has been termed as 'all-rounder'. He was providing all kinds of support to the kingpin, the CBI Sources said.
21 Accused Arrested So Far
With the latest arrests, the total number of accused behind bars rose to 21 in six different CBI cases. Earlier, the central probe agency had nabbed three students from AIIMS Patna and one from RIMS Ranchi. Arrested accused are currently pursuing MBBS at these premier students, ANI reported.
Meanwhile, an engineering graduate from NIT Jamshedpur was arrested for allegedly stealing the question paper from an NTA trunk at the Hazaribagh centre, the news agency reported. All accused have been sent to CBI custody by the courts.
Key Arrests Made This Week
The CBI has taken over the investigation of the paper leak case from the Bihar Police. The CBI has already apprehended Pankaj Kumar, who initially stole the paper, and Raju Singh, who assisted him. Another key figure, Rockey, has also been arrested by the agency.
On Thursday, the CBI arrested Surender Sharma, who aided Kumar in Hazaribagh.
The central investigation agency, probing the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance examination, has filed six FIRs. The FIR from Bihar addresses the paper leak, while the others from Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra involve impersonation of candidates and cheating.
The CBI's own FIR, prompted by a reference from the Union Education Ministry, calls for a "comprehensive investigation" into the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024.
The NEET-UG is organized by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions. This year, the exam took place on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 overseas locations. Over 23 lakh candidates participated in the test.