Patna: In a major breakthrough in the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak case, the Bihar Economic Offences Unit (EOU) has arrested the prime accused, Sanjeev Mukhiya, officials confirmed on Friday. The arrest was made late Thursday night, according to Additional Director General of the Bihar EOU, Naiyar Hussain Khan.
Mukhiya had been absconding for months, prompting the Bihar Police to announce a cash reward of ₹3 lakh in April for any information leading to his arrest. His capture marks a significant step forward in the high-profile case that has raised serious questions about the integrity of competitive exams in the country.
Earlier investigations revealed that the NEET-UG question paper was stolen from the control room of OASIS School in Hazaribagh on May 5, a day before the examination. According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who filed a chargesheet in the case in October last year, the theft occurred after the examination trunks had arrived from the bank vault.
CBI findings pointed to a well-orchestrated conspiracy involving multiple individuals. Pankaj Kumar, one of the accused, gained unauthorized access to the control room with help from the school’s Principal Ahsanul Haque and Vice Principal Imtiyaz Alam. Inside the control room, Kumar allegedly tampered with the trunk, removed the question paper, photographed its pages, and resealed the trunk before leaving undetected.
The leaked question paper was then shared among candidates at the Raj Guest House in Hazaribagh. The solved version was also scanned and circulated digitally to various locations, where other members of the gang received it.
Authorities believe Sanjeev Mukhiya played a key role in orchestrating the distribution network and coordinating the leakage. With his arrest, investigators expect to unravel more details about the wider network involved in the paper leak racket.
