The CBI's investigation into the NEET paper leak has now spread to 10 states, including Kerala. The scam, which reportedly started from a printing press in Nashik, has now been traced to two districts in Kerala. The CBI has formed a special team and is pushing the investigation forward.
The CBI has expanded its investigation into the NEET question paper leak to 10 states, and the trail has now reached Kerala. The agency has found that a model question paper, created after the original paper was leaked, was also circulated in Kerala.
The Rajasthan Police had earlier shared details of around 200 students who allegedly received the leaked paper, and this list has been handed over to the CBI. Sources say this list includes students from two districts in Kerala. The CBI has also received information that some students got the paper well in advance of the exam.
Initial reports suggest that the NEET paper leak started in Nashik. The investigation team is currently trying to catch Dhananjay, an accomplice of Shubham, who was arrested in Nashik. To speed up the case, the CBI has formed four special investigation teams.
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A New Way to Leak Papers
Usually, exam scamsters leak papers while they are being transported to exam centres. But this time, the NEET scam went a step further. The paper was allegedly leaked directly from the printing press.
This year's NEET question paper was printed at a press in Nashik. A medical student named Shubham Karniyar allegedly got his hands on the complete question paper from this press. He then couriered it to a doctor in Haryana. From there, it reached Manish Yadav and Rakesh Kumar in Sikar, who are believed to be the masterminds of this operation.
The paper was then distributed to gangs in Jaipur, Delhi, Dehradun, Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar, Kerala, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. To avoid getting caught, the gang converted the original paper into a 'model question paper'. This was then sold to buyers through social media platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp for prices ranging from ₹25,000 to ₹2 lakh. It was a well-planned scam with multiple layers of sellers.
A medical student from Churu, who is studying in Kerala, is also suspected to be a part of this network. Reports suggest that the model paper reached some students in Kerala through him. CBI sources have confirmed that the investigation is now active in 10 states.
Investigators found that 90 biology questions and 35 out of 45 chemistry questions in the 'model paper' were identical to the actual NEET question paper. They also suspect that the paper was circulated on a Telegram channel called 'Private Mafia'.
