In a significant development, Maharashtra police on Sunday arrested four individuals, including two teachers, in connection with the alleged question paper leak in the NEET undergraduate medical entrance exam. The arrests were made following an investigation led by the Nanded Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
Sanjay Tukaram Jadhav and Jalil Umarkhan Pathan, both teachers from Latur, were initially detained on Saturday under suspicion of involvement in the scam. Although they were released on Sunday morning after questioning, they were subsequently re-arrested along with Iranna Mashnaji Kongalwar from Dharashiv district and Gangadhar, a resident of Delhi.
The four accused face charges under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. According to the First Information Report (FIR), the suspects allegedly operated a racket selling exam information to students in exchange for money.
Acting on a tip-off, ATS officers raided the residences of Jadhav and Pathan, uncovering suspicious messages related to exam hall tickets and financial transactions on their mobile phones. “The investigation suggests that Jadhav might have passed on the hall ticket details to Kongalwar, who then forwarded them to Gangadhar in Delhi, suspected to be the mastermind behind the leak,” stated a police official.
In response to these revelations, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by the Latur Deputy Commissioner of Police has been constituted to further probe the case.
The NEET-UG exam has been embroiled in controversy amid allegations of a question paper leak and the contentious awarding of grace marks to over 1,500 students. Following widespread student protests, the grace marks were revoked, and a re-test was offered to the affected students.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has since taken over the probe, registering an FIR based on a referral from the Union Education Ministry. Special teams have been dispatched to Gujarat and Bihar, where similar cases of question paper leaks have been reported.
The ongoing investigation highlights the persistent challenges faced in maintaining the integrity of competitive examinations in India, with authorities pledging stringent measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
