Who are the three main accused arrested in Bihar NEET and Re-NEET exam fraud?
In a significant development, the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police has taken major action against alleged fraud in the Bihar NEET and Re-NEET examinations. The EOU has arrested three people in Patna. The arrested accused include medical students Dr Ujjwal Raj and Dr Ravi Shankar and Dr Ravi Shankar's brother, Ashwini Kumar.
EOU arrests main accused Dr Ujjwal Raj
The EOU arrested the main accused, Dr Ujjwal Raj, from outside the examination centre at Aryabhatta Knowledge University in Patna. During the investigation, a Scorpio car and Rs 295,000 in cash were recovered from him.
EOU arrests second accused Dr Ravi Shankar
Subsequently, on August 12, Dr Ravi Shankar, another accused in the cases related to the re-NEET UG exam, was arrested. He is also a final-year MBBS student at Mahavir Institute of Medical Sciences, Pawapuri, and a resident of Maksudpur in the Shahjahanpur police station area of Patna district.
Dr Ravi Shankar is accused of using scholars to fraudulently pass competitive exams and falsifying documents. According to the EOU, he has previously been jailed for alleged irregularities in the Railway Group D recruitment exam.
EOU arrests third accused Ashwini Kumar
The third accused, Ashwini Kumar, was arrested based on Ravi Shankar's information. Ashwini Kumar is the main accused's brother, a sales executive for a private company, and was responsible for scouting candidates for the entire case.
Fake documents recovered during raid
Following Ravi Shankar's arrest, raids were conducted in Patna's Ramakrishna Nagar area based on his information. During the searches, blank MBBS exam answer sheets, along with several admit cards for NEET, the Bihar Police Upper Services Commission, and the Central Board of Secondary Education, were recovered from his brother's flat and a rented house.
The EOU also reported that a large number of allegedly fake caste, income, and disability certificates were also recovered. The EOU is now investigating which candidates used these certificates and how they were used to gain advantage in the medical college admissions process.
Four cases registered over irregularities in NEET-UG exam scam
In the meantime, the EOU investigation also revealed a well-organised gang that allegedly used biometric manipulation and fake documents to arrange “solvers” to appear for candidates in exchange for Rs 12-30 lakh per student. In this regard, four cases were registered over irregularities in the NEET-UG and re-NEET-UG exams held on May 3 and June 21, respectively.
One case was registered at Giriyak police station in Nalanda over the May 3 exam, while three were registered at Kawaiya police station in Lakhisarai over the June 21 re-exam.
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