NEET-UG paper leak: CBI arrests key conspirator Aman Singh from Jharkhand’s Dhanbad

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested Aman Singh, a key conspirator in the NEET-UG paper leak, from Jharkhand's Dhanbad. This is the seventh arrest by the central probe agency concerning the NEET-UG exam 2024 investigation.

On Sunday, June 30, the agency arrested Dixit Patel, owner of a private school in Gujarat’s Godhra, for alleged malpractices in the NEET-UG 2024 exam. Patel, the sixth arrest in the case, was held in the early hours of Sunday from his residence in Panchmahal district.

Patel's Jay Jalaram School was one of the designated centres where the NEET-UG exam was held on May 5. It has been alleged that the school was the epicentre of alleged malpractices and fraud in connection with the exam.

Patel allegedly demanded ₹10 lakh each from at least 27 candidates to help them clear the test. According to Gujarat Police, he allegedly asked the candidates not to attempt a question if they did not know the answer.

A preliminary investigation by the CBI uncovered that Patel asked candidates willing to adopt illegal means to obtain high scores in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-Under Graduate) to opt for Jay Jalaram School as the exam centre.

On Saturday, June 29, the probe agency arrested Jamaluddin Ansari—the fifth accused—in the NEET UG question paper leak case, a day after arresting the principal and vice-principal of Oasis School in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh.

Ansari is a marketing professional with a Hindi media organisation. His brother Salauddin also works at the same organisation as a bureau chief.

The agency arrested Oasis School Principal Dr Ehsanul Haque and his deputy Imtiaz Alam on Friday in connection with the case. Principal Haque was the district coordinator of the NEET examination in Hazaribag, and his deputy Imtiaz Alam was the exam centre superintendent at Oasis School, in addition to being the National Testing Agency (NTA)’s observer. Two others, who allegedly provided safe premises to NEET candidates where burnt question papers were recovered by Bihar Police were also arrested by the agency.

Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the central government was on a ‘war footing’ to deal with the crisis that has rattled medical aspirants across the country.

PM Modi also assured that strict action would be taken against "those who play with the future of the youth" of India. “I will tell every student of the country, every youth of the country, that the government is very serious about preventing such incidents and we are taking one step after another to fulfil our responsibilities on a war footing. Those who play with the future of the youth will not be spared at all,” the PM said.