6 held from J’hand, EOU submits report to edumin
Tightening the noose around the NEET-UG paper leak accused, Bihar Police’s Economic Offences Unit arrested six people, including a main suspect from Deoghar in Jharkhand even as the state agency on Saturday submitted the status report of its investigation to the Union Education Ministry.
Sources said EOU arrested them from a house near AIIMS-Deoghar on Friday night. They were taken to the state capital for interrogation. The suspects — Paramjit Singh alias Bittu, Chintu alias Baldev Kumar, Kaju alias Prashant Kumar alias Kaju, Ajit Kumar, Rajiv Kumar alias Karu, all residents of Nalanda in Bihar, and Panku Kumar — were allegedly living in a house of Jhunu Singh in Deoghar.
The sources said both Chintu and Pintu, another accused, are members of the alleged paper leak gang and Sanjeev Mukhiya is mastermind.
On the request of Chintu, Pintu took a printout of the question paper a day before the exam and distributed it among 25-30 candidates at Learn Boys Hostel and Learn Play School at Khemnichak. Chintu's associate Pintu who is
still at large, sources added.
They claimed MBBS students from Patna and Ranchi (members of a solver gang) solved question papers. The students memorised answers and mugged them at the examination centres. Later, EOU arrested four NEET aspirants who could obtain only 581, 483, 300 and 185 of 720 marks.
EOU is also mulling narco analysis and brain mapping tests. Possibly, ED will investigate the money laundering aspect of the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UT 2024.
Sources said EOU has received question papers, to be matched with partially burnt papers seized from a flat last month.
Meanwhile, the EOU has issued a notice to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s private secretary Pritam Kumar in the alleged NEET-UG irregularities. Pritam's name surfaced the investigation found he had allegedly booked a guest house for candidates and their relatives. Pritam has sought time to prepare for the investigation.
Also, Bihar School Examination Board has postponed the Teacher Eligibility Test scheduled for June 26-28 due to “unavoidable reasons”. The new date will be announced later.