CBI questioned three AIIMS Patna students in NEET paper leak case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has questioned three students from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Patna in connection with the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Undergraduates (NEET-UG) paper leak case, officials said today, Thursday, July 18. Further details on the students being quizzed were not immediately known, reported PTI.

The agency on Tuesday, July 16, had arrested Pankaj Kumar alias Aditya, a 2017-batch civil engineer from the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Jamshedpur, who allegedly stole the NEET-UG paper from the NTA trunk in Hazaribagh, the officials said. Kumar, a resident of Bokaro, was arrested from Patna, they said.

The CBI, which is probing the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam, has lodged six FIRs. While the FIR from Bihar pertains to a paper leak, the remaining ones from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra are regarding impersonation of candidates and cheating.

The agency's own FIR on a reference from the Union Education Ministry pertains to a "comprehensive investigation" into the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024.

This year, the NEET-UG exam was conducted on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 abroad. More than 23 lakh candidates had appeared for the test, PTI reported.