NEET-UG Paper Leak: Solver Gang Member Arrested
Image Credit: PTI
Solver Gang Member Received Solved NEET-UG Question Paper PDF Before Exam, Says Bihar Police
The Bihar Police’s Economic Offences Unit (EOU) has arrested Baldev Kumar, also known as Chintu, a member of a “solver gang” that was involved in leaking the NEET-UG exam paper. Kumar, along with four others, was arrested in Jharkhand’s Deoghar district on Sunday and taken to a Patna court, which put them in jail.
Baldev Kumar got a PDF of the solved NEET-UG question paper on his phone on May 4, the day before the exam. The EOU revealed that Kumar is connected to Sanjeev Kumar, the main person behind the “solver gang,” who is still on the run.
Baldev Kumar is from Bihar Sharif in Nalanda district but was living in Patna. The other arrested members are Mukesh Kumar from Patna, Panku Kumar, Rajeev Kumar, and Paramjit Singh, all from Nalanda.
Before their arrest, Mukesh Kumar, Rajeev Kumar, and Paramjeet Singh were already suspects in the case. The EOU tracked them down using intelligence and technical investigation. They found partially burnt papers at Learn Boys Hostel and Play School in Patna, which were sent for forensic analysis.
The EOU explained that Baldev Kumar got the PDF on May 5, and printed copies were made using a Wi-Fi printer at the school. Candidates were grouped and asked to memorize the answers. The gang also arranged for discreet transportation of the candidates to the school using a taxi owned by Mukesh Kumar, who was also arrested.
During the investigation, roll code details of 15 suspicious candidates were found, and four have been questioned so far. The EOU confirmed that the half-burned question papers matched those from the Oasis School exam center in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, and found evidence of tampering.
The EOU also found duplicate SIM cards and a suspicious envelope box in Jharkhand, indicating the involvement of a larger inter-state gang. The EOU took over the investigation from Patna Police on May 17 and plans to hand the case over to the CBI. Earlier, on May 5, Patna Police had arrested 13 people related to the paper leak.
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