NEET paper leak prime accused Sanjeev Mukhiya arrested

Image used for representation

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (UG) paper leak prime accused Sanjeev Mukhiya was arrested by Economic Offences Unit team, Patna, the officials said on Friday.

The EOU team arrested Mukhiya on Thursday (April 24, 2025) night, said Naiyar Hussain Khan, Additional Director General, Bihar Economic Offences Unit.

On April 9, Bihar Police declared a reward of ₹3 lakh for information leading to the arrest of Sanjeev Mukhia, a key accused in the NEET-UG paper leak case.

Earlier in October last year, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed the chargesheet in the NEET paper theft case in Patna, before the Special Judge Court for CBI, Patna.

The investigation revealed that the NEET UG 2024 question paper was stolen from the control room of OASIS School in Hazaribagh on May 5. The theft occurred after the trunks containing the question papers arrived from the bank vault.

Also Read | CBI arrests MBBS student from Jharkhand’s Ranchi in NEET-UG paper leak case

According to the CBI, the accused, Pankaj Kumar, was allowed entry into the control room by the school’s Principal, Ahsanul Haque, and Vice Principal, Imtiyaz Alam.

“The accused Pankaj Kumar was clandestinely allowed entry into the control room by Ahsanul Haque, the Principal, and Imtiyaz Alam, the Vice Principal of the school, as part of the conspiracy. Pankaj Kumar tampered with the hinges of the trunk containing the question papers, removed one question paper, photographed all its pages, replaced the paper and resealed the trunk, and exited the control room,” the CBI stated.

Following this, the solved question papers were then distributed to the candidates present at the Raj Guest House, Hazaribagh. Further, the solved question paper was scanned and sent digitally to predetermined locations where the members of the accused gang received it.

Only those who paid in advance could enter these locations. After their exams, the candidates were prohibited from taking any printed copies with them.

The CBI found half-burnt pieces of the question paper at Learn Play School, Patna, which led them to OASIS School, the CBI added in the release.