NEET UG paper leak: CBI makes its first arrests in NEET case, nabs 2 from Patna

NEW DELHI: The CBI on Thursday made its first arrests in the NEET-UG paper leak case, taking two people in custody in Patna, officials said. Manish Kumar and Ashutosh Kumar allegedly provided safe accommodation to the medical entrance exam aspirants before the examination where they were given leaked question papers and answer keys, the officials said.

Both were produced before a special court in Patna which sent them to judicial custody, they said. The CBI will now seek their remand from the court to question them, they said. Ashutosh Kumar had allegedly taken 'Learn Boys Hostel and Play School' in Patna on rent from where the Economic Offence Unit of Bihar Police had recovered half-burnt question papers of National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate), they said.

The CBI has found that Ashutosh Kumar knew that the premises was being used for providing question papers to NEET aspirants, they said. About Manish Kumar, they said, that he allegedly struck deals with candidates who were ready to pay money for getting the question papers in advance.

He then brought these candidates to the hostel where they were provided with the paper and the answer key, they said. The aspirants remained in the hostel till the examination and prepared for the paper held on May 5, they said. The CBI has registered six FIRs in the NEET paper leak case.

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The NEET-UG is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country. This year's examination was conducted on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 abroad.

Over 23 lakh candidates appeared for the test. The first CBI FIR was registered on Sunday, a day after the ministry announced it would hand over the probe into the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the exam to the central agency. The demand for a CBI probe was raised by a section of protesting students.