NEET paper leak scandal: Confession revealed

| Updated: 13 June, 2024 1:57 pm IST

The New Indians finds Bihar Police confession in NEET PG scam

New Delhi: The New Indian has obtained the confession statement from the Bihar Police’s Economic Offences Unit (EOU), where the arrested suspects admitted to leaking the NEET question papers.

The suspects outlined their methods in the confession, revealing a detailed modus operandi. Despite this, a press release on May 5th claimed that the exams proceeded without significant issues, apart from some delays in Sawai Madhopur. This release has since been removed from the official website.

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET (UG), is an annual pre-medical entrance exam in India. Conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), it serves as the sole examination for admission to undergraduate medical (MBBS), dental (BDS), and AYUSH courses in both government and private institutions in India, and for those seeking primary medical qualifications abroad. NEET-UG replaced the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) and various other state and college-specific pre-medical exams. Following the NMC Act 2019, it became the exclusive test for medical college admissions in India.

Police reports and interrogation records reveal that the examination papers were leaked a day before the test. It was reported that parents or guardians paid between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 32 lakh for the leaked papers.

To ensure secrecy, only those who paid were given access to the leaked papers. These students were gathered in hotels or rooms on the outskirts of the city and instructed to memorize the answers. The suspects also revealed that after distributing the leaked papers, the originals were burned to eliminate evidence.

The Bihar Police has made over a dozen arrests since May, aware of the NEET paper leak. They suspect the total illegal transactions could amount to hundreds of crores, particularly noting the arrest of 12 suspects in Shastri Nagar, Patna, on June 5th. The arrested individuals also confessed to previous involvement in leaking Bihar Public Service Commission exam papers.

A significant concern remains: if Bihar Police suspected the NEET paper leak in May, why were the results still declared on June 4th without addressing these allegations?

The investigation continues as authorities delve deeper into this scandal, which has cast a shadow over the integrity of the NEET examination process.