‘Cheating racket’ busted in Bihar during NEET re-exam, 30 held: Police

Bihar Police announced on Monday the dismantling of a significant "cheating racket" in Lakhisarai during the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) re-examination held on Sunday. The operation resulted in the arrest of 30 people, including medical students and employees from a biometric company involved in the exam's verification process.

Over two million medical aspirants nationwide participated in the retest, which was conducted across 5,454 centers. Police raided exam venues at three schools, apprehending all suspects and seizing mobile phones and other pertinent documents. Among those arrested were nine impersonators, one candidate, two assistants, and 18 biometric staff members.

An investigation revealed that one arrested impersonator, Mayank Kashyap, a fourth-year medical student, gained access to the Hasanpur examination center by colluding with a biometric company employee, Ankit Kumar. Kashyap allegedly posed as a biometric staff member. Subsequent interrogations led to the apprehension of other biometric company employees and the impersonators.

Authorities identified Ravi Shankar, a student at Pavapuri Medical College, and Arpit Raj from ANM Medical College and Hospital, as the alleged masterminds behind the operation. Both Shankar and Raj are accused of recruiting medical students to act as "solvers" and impersonators for the exam. The Central Bureau of Investigation is also questioning Raj regarding the broader 2024 NEET paper leak case. Preliminary investigations suggest that each candidate involved in the impersonation scheme was to pay between ₹10 to 12 lakh, with an initial payment of ₹1 to 2 lakh taken as an advance, and the balance due upon clearing the exam. Police are examining bank accounts, call records, and digital transactions to uncover further links to the network.

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each candidate was to be charged ₹10 to 12 lakh for impersonation. An advance of one to two lakh rupees was taken. The balance was to be paid after the students cleared the examination.