Rs 32 lakh and ‘problem-solver gang’: How NEET paper was leaked in Patna
The Patna Police has arrested seven people, including four candidates, in connection with the NEET-UG question paper leak case.
India Today TV has accessed the confession letters of all accused, which revealed that Rs 32 lakh were charged by a problem-solver gang to provide the leaked question papers.
The NEET-UG exam was held on May 5 and the results were declared on June 5. The medical entrance exam has been mired in controversy due to allegations of question paper leaks and irregularities in Patna.
Two accused, Nitish Kumar and Amit Anand, were part of a problem-solver gang which leaks question papers of prestigious exams such as NEET, BPSC and UPSC.
In their confession letter, Nitish and Anand said they were contacted by one Sikandar Prasad Yadavendu, who works as a Junior Engineer at Bihar’s Danapur Town Council.
According to them, Yadavendu asked them to provide the NEET-UG question paper for four candidates, which included his nephew. Nitish and Anand charged Rs 32 lakh from Yadavendu for the question papers.
On May 4, a day before the exam, the four candidates were called at a guest house where Nitish and Anand helped them prepare the question paper. The candidates, in their confession letters to the police, admitted that the same questions appeared in the actual exam on May 5.
‘LEAKED NEET PAPER MATCHED EXAM PAPER’
Anurag Yadav, who is Yadavendu’s nephew, was preparing for the NEET-UG in Rajasthan’s Kota. In his confession letter, he told police that his uncle called him and said he had access to the question paper.
A day before the exam, Anurag said his uncle introduced him to two people — Amit Anand and Nitish Kumar — who provided him with the question paper and answer key. They helped him prepare the questions overnight, which Anurag confessed were the same in the actual question paper on May 5.
Another student, Shivanandan Kumar, also has familial ties with Yadavendu. He also admitted that Yadavendu ‘uncle’ asked him to come to a house on May 4 where Nitish Kumar and Amit Anand helped him prepare the leaked question paper.
A confession letter by Awadhesh Kumar, father of another candidate Abhishek Kumar, stated that he paid Rs 40 lakh to Yadavendu for the question paper. Another candidate Ayush Raj’s father, Akhilesh Kumar, admitted to paying Rs 40 lakh to Yadavendu.
“Two blank cheques from my account were handed over to Yadavendu in return for passing my son in the NEET exam,” Awdhesh Kumar wrote in his letter. “The deal was settled at Rs 40 lakh.”
THE INVOLVEMENT OF ‘MANTRIJI’
In his confession letter, Sikandar Prasad Yadavendu claimed he had assisted the stay of four NEET candidates and the guardian of one of them in Patna.
Yadavendu said his nephew Anurag Yadav (the NEET aspirant) arrived in Patna with his mother, Reena Kumari, to appear for the NEET 2024 exams. He made their stay arrangements at a government guest house, located near the Patna Zoo and the Patna airport.
India Today TV team reached the concerned guest house and found rough bill books. Upon accessing the bill books, our team found the mention of a ‘Mantri Ji’, who allegedly facilitated the stay of Anurag Yadav and his mother.
It is alleged that Pritam Kumar, who is the personal assistant of former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, helped booked the guest house for Yadavendu.
The BJP has alleged Tejashwi Yadav’s involvement in the paper leak. BJP leader Giriraj Singh also alleged Tejashwi Yadav’s hand in the paper leak. “Corruption is in RJD’s DNA,” Giriraj Singh said.