NEET-UG paper leak: Key accused who stole question paper from NTA’s trunk arrested

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the NEET-UG paper leak case has arrested two persons, including a key accused who allegedly stole the question paper from a National Testing Agency's trunk in Jharkhand.

According to officials, Pankaj Kumar alias Aditya, a 2017-batch civil engineer from the National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, stole the paper of the medical entrance examination from the NTA trunk in Hazaribagh. 

Kumar was arrested from Patna while his aide Raju Singh was arrested from Hazaribagh. Officials said Singh had helped Kumar in stealing the paper.

With the fresh arrests, the total number of persons taken into custody by the central agency in the case has gone up to 14.

The CBI has so far filed six FIRs in the case. While the FIR filed in Bihar is in connection with the leakage of paper, the remaining from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra are linked to impersonation of candidates and cheating.

The Supreme Court, meanwhile, is set to hear a petition challenging the NEET-UG results, on July 18. The apex court heard pleas demanding a retest of the examination on Monday and directed the Centre and the NTA to file responses on the extent of the question paper leak.

The top court had observed that a retest will be ordered considering the extent of the leak and if the guilty are not identified. The SC also directed NTA to make full disclosure regarding the paper leak.

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country. 

Allegations of irregularities, including paper leaks, have led to protests in several cities and sparring between rival political parties.