The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a new case concerning alleged fraud by four National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 candidates in Bihar's Purnea, officials said yesterday, Wednesday, January 15. The agency took up the case from Bihar Police at the request of the state administration.

According to a FIR (First Investigation Report) filed in connection with the case, the principal of SRDAV Public School in Purnea, one of the centres for the coveted medical entrance examination held on May 5 last year, said that the candidates' biometrics revealed that four impersonators were taking the exam rather than legitimate candidates.

Nitish Kumar of Bhojpur appeared for Ashish Kumar of Muzaffarpur, Kamlesh Kumar of Jalore (Rajasthan) for Dheeraj Prakash of Siwan, Saurabh Kumar of Begusarai for Tathaghat Kumar of Sitamarhi, and Mayank Chaudhary of Sitamarhi for Deepak Kumar Singh of Muzaffarpur, the FIR says, Economic Times reports.

The CBI has charged all eight with alleged impersonation, cheating, and forgery, among other offences.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) administers the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) for admission to MBBS, BDS (Bachelor of Dental Sciences), AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Homoeopathy), and other medical programmes at both public and private universities.