The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday searched multiple locations in Gujarat as part of its probe into an alleged conspiracy to help 30 students in the recently held National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for undergraduate medical colleges at a Godhra examination centre. On Friday, the agency also arrested one more accused in the NEET question paper leak case in Jharkhand.
The searches were carried out in places linked to the accused persons and suspects in the Godhra, Ahmedabad, Kheda, and Anand districts of Gujarat.
Journalist arrested
The accused person arrested in the alleged paper-leak case on Friday evening was identified as Jamaluddin, a journalist working for a Hindi newspaper in Hazaribagh in Jharkhand. According to the agency, on the day of the examination, he assisted the Hazaribagh-based Oasis School principal Ahsanhul Haque and vice-principal Imtiaz Alam, who were earlier arrested in the case.
On Saturday, the CBI took the three, along with two other accused people, Manish Prakash and Ashutosh Kumar, to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital in Patna for a medical check up.
It is alleged that Mr. Prakash and Mr. Kumar played a crucial role in arranging to rent the Learn Boys Hostel and Play School in Patna’s Khemnichak locality, where the leaked question papers were allegedly distributed to the 20 to 25 candidates gathered there on the eve of the examination, so that they could memorise the answers overnight.
Paper leak racket
The CBI has been granted the custody of the five accused for five days by a special court. Sources said that the agency may take all the accused to Delhi as part of the investigation.
The CBI team also visited several locations in Patna for spot verification along with Baldev Kumar alias Chintu and Mukesh Kumar, both residents of Nalanda in Bihar.
Mr. Baldev Kumar allegedly received the solved question paper of the NEET-UG exam on his mobile phone in PDF format, after which it was printed out using a wi-fi printer and distributed among the candidates to memorise the answers at the play school. Mr. Mukesh Kumar has been accused of facilitating the offence by picking up and dropping off the candidates after they memorised the answers.
The CBI is also on the look out for Rocky, the nephew of main accused Sanjiv Mukhiya.
Soumya Smruti Sahoo is a seasoned journalist with extensive experience in both international and Indian news writing. With a sharp analytical mind and a dedication to uncovering the truth, Soumya has built a reputation for delivering in-depth, well-researched articles that provide readers with a clear understanding of complex global and domestic issues. Her work reflects a deep commitment to journalistic integrity, making her a trusted source for accurate and insightful news coverage.
