• By Kamal Kumar
  • Fri, 28 Jun 2024 08:43 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

NEET-UG Paper Leak:  The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday arrested two more accused in the NEET-UG paper leak case. The duo - Dr Ehsaan Ul Haq and Imtiaz Alam - were working as the Principal and Vice Principal of the Oasis School in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh, CBI sources said. Notably, Haq was appointed the city coordinator by National Testing Agency for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG 2024).

Vice Principal Imtiaz Alam was tasked with the responsibility of NTA observer and coordinator for the Oasis school, an NEET exam centre, officials said. CBI has also detained five more people, including a senior journalist of a local daily in connection with the NEET paper leak.

The duo was arrested after the CBI grilled them extensively during the questioning.

Haque, Alam Came Under Scanner During Bihar EOU's Investigation

The names of Haque and Alam cropped up while Bihar Police's Economic Offences Unit started investigating the entangling web of the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak. EOU team stumbled upon the burnt question paper of NEET-UG 2024 during a raid at the hideout of a solver gang. The clue obtained from the burnt paper led the EOU team to the origin of the paper leak as the NEET reference question paper provided by NEET to the school matched the exhumed pieces.

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The Bihar Police's special unit then claimed that the 'leaked' question paper was obtained by Sanjeev Kumar alias Lutan Mukhiya gang from the Oasis School in Hazaribagh.

It All Began With 'Boxes' Of NEET Question Papers

The EOU, during its initial investigation, had revealed that the NTA guidelines to handle the NEET question papers box were not properly followed by the Oasis School administration. However, Principal Haque had been telling media that the question paper box, equipped with a digital lock and supposed to automatically open, malfunctioned.

Following this, he contacted NTA and was asked to open the box manually using a cutter, Haque had claimed.

CBI has registered six FIRs in connection with the NEET-UG paper leak. Five out of these are the investigations it took over from the states, while one is the complaint filed by the Union Education Ministry.

The central probe agency has arrested five aspirants, cumulatively from Bihar's Patna and Gujarat, who allegedly malpractice in the paper.