NEET-UG is conducted by the National Testing Agency for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions | (Photo: PTI)
The CBI on Thursday arrested one of the alleged kingpins in the NEET-UG paper leak case. He had been on the run since the start of the campaign against irregularities in the entrance exam, officials said.
Rockey, alias Rakesh Ranjan, who hails from Nalanda and is reportedly a relative of attack mastermind Sanjeev Mukhia, was nabbed by the agency on the outskirts of Patna, they said.
The CBI had been tracking him since the case reached the agency. Its search ended on Thursday morning when he was arrested by the agency, they said.
The agency produced him before a special court in Patna, which sentenced him to 10 days of CBI custody, authorities said.
The CBI conducted searches at three locations in Patna and surrounding areas and one location in Kolkata after his arrest, authorities said.
Earlier this week, the CBI conducted searches at 15 locations in Bihar and Jharkhand and collected incriminating evidence in the case, authorities said.
The agency had earlier arrested the principal and deputy principal of Oasis school in Jharkhand, located in Hazaribagh, in the case, as well as two persons who allegedly provided premises to NEET candidates. Burnt exam papers were recovered by the Bihar police.
The CBI, which is investigating the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance examination, has so far registered six FIRs in the case.
The FIR from Bihar pertains to paper leaks, while the others, from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, are related to impersonation of candidates and cheating.
The agency’s FIR, based on a referral from the Ministry of Education, relates to an “extensive investigation” into the alleged irregularities in the exam.
NEET-UG is conducted by the National Testing Agency for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions.
This year, the exam was conducted on May 5 in 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 abroad. Over 23 lakh candidates appeared in the test.
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First print: Jul 11, 2024 | 7:02 PM IST