Major Breakthrough in NEET-UG Paper Leak Case: Key Accused Arrested

Arrest of Main Suspect in NEET-UG Scandal

Patna: The primary suspect in the NEET-UG paper leak incident, Sanjeev Mukhiya, has been apprehended by authorities at Saguna Mor, falling under the jurisdiction of the Danapur police station.

According to Nayyer Hasnain Khan, the Additional Director General of the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police, Mukhiya was taken into custody late Thursday night.

Khan stated, "Acting on a tip-off, a coordinated operation by the EOU and Patna Special Task Force (STF) led to the raid of an apartment in Saguna Mor, where Mukhiya was found hiding. He had been evading capture since the NEET-UG paper leak surfaced last year."

Hailing from Nalanda, Mukhiya had a bounty of Rs 3 lakh on his head and was one of three main suspects for whom the Bihar Police had announced rewards last month.

The police also offered a Rs 1 lakh reward for information leading to the capture of the other two suspects, Shubham Kumar and Rajkishore Kumar.

Mukhiya is accused of leaking the NEET-UG 2024 question paper prior to the examination scheduled for May 5, 2024.

Investigations have uncovered that students were charged as much as Rs 40 lakh each and were instructed to memorize answers at a private institution in Patna.

Mukhiya has been operating a well-organized group in Bihar dedicated to leaking examination papers. His son, along with several relatives and local youths from Nalanda, were implicated in this scheme.

Previously, Mukhiya was associated with other examination leaks in Bihar, establishing his reputation as a significant player in educational fraud.

Initially detected by the Patna Police, the NEET-UG case was later transferred to the EOU and subsequently to the CBI due to its national implications.

To date, over 30 individuals have been arrested in connection with this case. Authorities anticipate that Mukhiya's interrogation could unveil further arrests and insights into a larger network involved in examination fraud.

This arrest represents a crucial step forward in the fight against examination malpractices.