The EOU (Economic Offences Unit) of the Bihar police, previously handling the investigation into the NEET-UG paper leak before transferring it to the CBI, announced on Sunday the arrest of a member of the “solver gang” who obtained a solved question paper a day before the exam on June 5.
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Baldev Kumar was one of the five individuals apprehended by the Bihar police on Sunday in Deoghar, Jharkhand. The EOU alleged that Kumar was a confederate of the gang’s leader, Sanjeev Kumar. Ravi Atri allegedly leads a group called ‘Solver Gang’. The group focuses on acquiring and sharing answer sheets for exams through different platforms, such as social media, with students who are prepared to pay the appropriate amount.
How Was the Paper Leaked?
Indian Express reported that the EOU stated that this gang received the solved NEET UG-2024 exam question papers on their mobile, based on the evidence available. On the morning of May 5, Baldev Kumar received the solved question paper in a PDF format on his mobile device. The duplicates were removed from the school’s Wi-Fi printer. Candidates were gathered and instructed to memorise the information, as mentioned by EOU.
The EOU, which assumed control of the inquiry from Patna Police on May 17, declared that the matter would be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Earlier, on May 5, 13 individuals were detained by the Patna Police for the suspected paper leak.
Who Are the Suspects?
Baldev Kumar, a resident of Bihar Sharif in Nalanda district, resided in a rented accommodation in Patna. Other members of the arrested gang, like Mukesh Kumar from Agamkuan in Patna, Panku Kumar from Chhabilapur in Nalanda, Rajeev Kumar also known as Karu from Ekangarsarai in Nalanda, and Paramjit Singh also known as Bittu from Chhabilapur in Nalanda, were also taken into custody.
The primary focus of the investigation is Oasis School in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, with additional scrutiny on St Xavier’s School, DAV Public School, Holy Cross School, and Vivekananda Central School in the same city. According to a Hazaribagh police officer who spoke to HT, the EOU team believes the leaked paper originated from one of the five schools where NEET-UG took place and is investigating that area. Oasis remains the primary suspect, however, no solid evidence has been uncovered yet. The head of Oasis School in Hazaribag informed the investigating team that the electronic locks on the lockers holding the exam papers were unlocked with approval from high-ranking officials authorised by the National Testing Agency.
18 individuals have been detained by the EOU regarding allegations of paper leaks, malpractice, manipulation at exam centres, and result discrepancies in the current year’s medical entrance exam. As per the police, one detained individual confessed to obtaining a leaked exam paper. The EOU discovered 68 out of 200 questions in the burned remains of alleged question paper copies.
What Was the Investigation Process?
EOU mentioned that NTA had provided a copy of the reference question paper linked to the partially burnt question paper found at Learn Boys Hostel and Play School. Once the report on the Serial Code of the partially burned question paper confiscated from NTA on the evening of June 20, 2024, was received, it was evident that the half-burned question paper found at Learn Boys Hostel and Play School, Ramakrishna Nagar, was for the NEET UG-2024 exam. The examination centre serial code belongs to Oasis School located at Kallu Chowk, Mandai Road in Hazaribagh District, Jharkhand. This has been confirmed.
During the verification process, it was evident that the polybag suspected of containing the question paper from the Hazaribagh examination centre, the original question paper found with the candidate, and the packing trunk all showed signs of tampering. As a result, all suspicious items were confiscated.
