Raju Singh, an alleged accomplice, was previously sent to CBI custody for 10 days. Kumar, a 2017-batch civil engineer from the National Institute of Technology in Jamshedpur and resident of Bokaro, was arrested in Patna.
New Delhi: Today (17th July): A special court in Patna has sent Pankaj Kumar, the key accused in the NEET-UG paper-leak case, to the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for 14 days. Kumar is alleged to have stolen the exam paper from the National Testing Agency (NTA) trunk in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.
During this custody, the CBI will question him about his role, connections with other gang members, payments received, and local contacts involved in the theft.
Raju Singh, an alleged accomplice, was previously sent to CBI custody for 10 days. Kumar, a 2017-batch civil engineer from the National Institute of Technology in Jamshedpur and resident of Bokaro, was arrested in Patna.
Singh was arrested in Hazaribagh for allegedly aiding Kumar, and the Raj Guest House in Hazaribagh has been temporarily sealed in connection with the case.
READ ALSO: [NEET Paper Leak Case] Patna Court Sends Two Accused to CBI Custody
The CBI has also arrested Jamaluddin Ansari, a journalist, and Ehsanul Haque and Imtiaz Alam, the principal and vice-principal of Oasis School in Hazaribagh, who were designated as NTA coordinators. The Economic Offences Wing (EOU) of the Bihar Police had previously stated that the leaked NEET-UG question paper originated from the Oasis School and was obtained by the notorious Sanjeev Kumar alias Lutan Mukhiya solver gang.
Investigations matched a partially burnt question paper found in Patna with a reference provided by the NTA, confirming the leak. Haque claimed the box containing the papers malfunctioned, prompting him to use a cutter as instructed by the NTA.
READ ALSO: NEET-UG Paper Leak| CBI Arrests Alleged Mastermind From Patna
The CBI has filed six FIRs related to the NEET-UG 2024 irregularities, including impersonation and cheating in Bihar, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra. The NEET-UG, conducted by the NTA, took place on May 5 at 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including 14 abroad, with over 23 lakh candidates appearing for the test.
