• By Vivek Raj
  • Sat, 20 Jul 2024 12:12 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

NEET-UG Paper Leak Case: Surabhi Kumari, a first-year MBBS student from the 2023 batch at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi, has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the NEET-UG paper leak case. The arrest follows allegations that Kumari was part of a gang that leaked and solved the NEET question paper.

Kumari was reportedly offered Rs 10 lakh to solve the NEET-UG exam paper. In May, she was taken to Koderma and lodged in a luxurious hotel. Following that, she was moved to Hazaribagh, where she was blindfolded and taken to a secret location. There, she and other students were threatened at gunpoint to solve the leaked paper. The answers were then distributed among students whose names were already with the gang members.

RIMS Director Dr. Rajkumar disclosed that Kumari was taken to the second floor of the house, which had ten rooms occupied by other students involved in the scheme. When Kumari initially refused to solve the paper, she was allegedly threatened at gunpoint. Despite her claims, the CBI views this as an excuse.

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The CBI arrested Kumari after questioning her at the RIMS Girls Hostel and later at their office. The arrest aligns with the detention of four AIIMS Patna students, believed to be members of the same gang. Dr. Rajiv Ranjan, RIMS Public Relations Officer, confirmed Kumari's detention and stated that the administration would fully cooperate with the CBI investigation.

"The student belonged to the 2023 batch which is a first-year student and she is now under the custody of CBI. They initially approached the administration for some initial information from the student and afterward yesterday they again approached for further investigation in the same and then they proceeded with the custody of the student," said Ranjan.

Sources allege that Kumari was the fifth member of the 'solver module' present in Hazaribagh on May 5, the day of the NEET-UG examination. The paper was allegedly stolen by Pankaj Kumar alias Aditya, a 2017-batch civil engineer from the National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur.