Altogether 17 candidates who appeared for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) examination from Bihar on May 5 have been debarred by National Testing Agency (NTA) following large-scale irregularities.

The students had taken their examination at centres in Patna, stated a report by The New Indian Express.

Nine of them were issued notices by the Bihar police's Economic Offences Unit (EOU) asking them to appear before the probe agency.

However, two of them appeared before the EOU and the rest were yet to respond to the notices served on them.

Earlier, two students were arrested by Patna police from their examination centres on the suspicion of being involved in question paper leak.

Meanwhile, EOU, in a press statement issued on Sunday, June 23, claimed that the question papers were received by the accused at Learn and Play School that was used as 'safe house' by the accused.

The EOU has found roll numbers of at least 15 students who were present at the Learn and Play School located at Khemnichak in the state capital.

Four of them have so far been questioned.

The investigation revealed that the question paper received by the accused came from Oasis School at Hazaribagh in Jharkhand.

There is evidence of tampering in the packaging of the question paper, the investigating officials pointed out.

The EOU team recorded the statements of those working in the State Bank of India, Hazaribagh and also Blue Dart courier services.