New Delhi: In a significant development, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the NEET paper leak case in Delhi has unearthed crucial details. The 14 individuals apprehended in connection with the case have confessed to financial transactions during their interrogation by the SIT. They have also revealed information about a tactic referred to as ‘Safe-House’.
Meanwhile, the Bihar Economic Offenses Unit (EOU) is actively conducting its investigation. They have discovered potential errors made during the examination process and have issued notices to 9 candidates, summoning them to the EOU’s Patna office for questioning on Monday and Tuesday.
Despite these developments, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has maintained silence on the issue.
Previously, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had assured that examinations in the country would be conducted without any irregularities and held NTA accountable for any lapses. Reports suggest that candidates involved in this case might have paid upwards of Rs 30 lakh for access to the question papers, which were then passed with assistance from a ‘solver gang’.
Key figures in this scandal include Nitish and Amit Anand. Sikandar Kumar Yadavendu, a junior engineer with the Bihar government, has confessed to his involvement and detailed his interactions with Nitish and Amit Anand. He disclosed that they had conspired together and that he had been in contact with candidates’ families. Nitish Kumar has a history of involvement in similar cases, having been previously implicated in the BPSC (Bihar Teacher Recruitment Examination) paper leak case. Amit Anand operates an educational consultancy in Patna.
Yadavendu revealed that he received the question papers on May 4 and stored them at a ‘safe house’ in Patna’s Ramakrishna Nagar. However, during their arrest in Rajvanshi Nagar, police recovered multiple NEET admit cards. The EOW suspects that the same group responsible for the BPSC paper leak may also be behind this incident. Their modus operandi involves contacting candidates, sequestering them in a ‘safe house’ to memorize questions, and then ensuring their silence by escorting them directly to examination centers.
