CBI makes first arrests in NEET-UG paper leak case
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday arrested two people from Patna, Bihar—marking the first arrests in the National Eligibility-Centre-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) paper leak case. The accused have been identified as Baldev Kumar, alias Chintu, and Mukesh Kumar, according to ANI. The two have been sent to three-day CBI custody. The Ministry of Education handed over the case to the CBI last week amid nationwide protests over irregularities in the conduct of the exam.
CBI to interrogate accused, EOU reveals connections
The CBI plans to interrogate the men to determine how they obtained the question paper in advance and the number of aspirants who memorized answers before the May 5 test. An investigation conducted by the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of the Bihar Police found that Chintu is married to the sister of Sanjeev Mukhiyar, the main accused in the case. Police have also recovered 20 ATM cards, 21 blank checks, and ₹50,000 in cash from his possession.
CBI team arrives at office in Patna with accused
Controversy surrounds NEET-UG exam results
The NEET examination, held on May 5 across 4,750 centers, has been tainted by allegations of cheating and question paper leaks. An unprecedented number of students—as many as 67—scored a perfect 720, while 1,563 candidates were awarded grace marks for lost time. These grace marks were later cancelled. The results were expected to be declared on June 14, but were announced 10 days earlier due to the early completion of answer sheet evaluations.
CBI has registered 6 FIRs
The CBI has already registered six FIRs in the NEET paper leak case. The first CBI FIR was registered on Sunday, a day after the ministry announced it would hand over the probe to the agency. The following day, the CBI took over the case, after which it visited the office of the EOU of Bihar Police and started an investigation into the alleged irregularities in the exam.
