CBI Cracks NEET Paper Heist: Major Developments Unveiled

The CBI has filed its third chargesheet in the NEET paper theft case in Patna, implicating 21 individuals. The investigation found that the paper was stolen from a school's control room in Hazaribagh. A network of students received the leaked paper, leading to several arrests and ongoing investigations.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken significant strides in the NEET question paper theft case, filing a third chargesheet in Patna. This document, submitted to the Special Judge Court for CBI in Patna, lists 21 individuals accused of orchestrating the heist, according to an official statement.

The probe revealed that the NEET UG 2024 exam paper was illicitly removed from the control room at OASIS School in Hazaribagh on May 5. The theft was executed shortly after the trunks containing the papers arrived from a bank vault, highlighting a security lapse. The extensive 5500-page chargesheet includes testimonies from 298 witnesses, references 290 documents, and presents 45 material objects as evidence.

Pankaj Kumar, an implicated suspect, was reportedly given covert access to the control room by the school's Principal, Ahsanul Haque, and Vice Principal, Imtiyaz Alam. Kumar allegedly tampered with the trunks, removed, photographed the question paper, and then resealed the trunk before exiting. The digital images were passed to Surendra Kumar Sharma and other associates, leading to widespread distribution among MBBS students who then solved the questions. The authorities have arrested 49 people so far, continuing their efforts to dismantle this elaborate cheating operation. Ongoing investigations aim to uncover additional accomplices. The recent findings underscore the CBI's commitment to restoring the exam's integrity.

(With inputs from agencies.)