NEET-UG paper leak scam: CBI arrests mastermind Rakesh Ranjan
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested one of the kingpins of the NEET-UG paper leak scandal, Rakesh Ranjan alias Rocky, from Jharkhand’s Dhanbad. He was produced in CBI court and was sent to the agency’s custody for 10 days.
Linked to the paper leak case in Hazaribagh-Patna, Rocky was traced using advanced technology, the police said. Searches were carried out at four locations in Patna and West Bengal, linked to the accused.
Rocky is reportedly a relative of the mastermind Sanjeev Mukhia. The CBI had been tracking him since taking over the case. His attempt to evade authorities ended on Thursday morning when the agency arrested him, officials told PTI.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court postponed the hearing on the NEET-UG 2024 case because some parties hadn’t received the latest affidavits from the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA). The new date for the hearing is July 18, prolonging the decision on petitions requesting a re-conduct of NEET-UG 2024 due to alleged paper leaks and other misconduct.
Earlier this week, the CBI conducted searches at 15 locations in Bihar and Jharkhand, collecting evidence related to the case.
The agency had previously arrested the principal and vice principal of Oasis School in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, along with two others who allegedly provided premises to NEET candidates where burnt question papers were found by Bihar Police.
So far, the CBI has filed six FIRs in connection with the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam. One FIR in Bihar deals with paper leaks, while others from Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra involve cases of candidate impersonation and cheating.
The CBI initiated its investigation based on a reference from the Union Education Ministry to thoroughly probe the exam irregularities.
NEET-UG, conducted by the NTA, is used for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and related courses in both government and private institutions. This year’s exam took place on May 5 across 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 abroad, with over 23 lakh candidates appearing for it.