In a breakthrough in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) (NEET-UG) 2024 question paper leak investigation, the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police apprehended the prime accused, Sanjeev Mukhiya, in the early hours of April 25 from an apartment in Danapur, Patna. He had been absconding for nearly a year, with a Rs 3 lakh reward declared for his capture by the state government.
According to The Hindu, EOU Additional Director General Nayyar Hasnain Khan confirmed that intelligence inputs from the EOU’s Special Operations Group (SOG) pointed to Mukhiya’s location. The tip-off prompted coordination with the Danapur Police Station and a subsequent late-night raid, leading to Mukhiya’s arrest.
Mukhiya, also known as Sanjeev Kumar, has been the central figure in multiple exam paper leak cases in Bihar for over two decades. He is currently wanted in several cases registered at the Economic Offences Police Station, including Case Nos. 27/2024, 16/2023, and 06/2024. He had also been charge-sheeted earlier in Case Nos. 12/12 and 30/13.
A resident of Nagarnausa village in Bihar’s Nalanda district, Mukhiya began his career as a fourth-grade employee before rising to local political prominence as a Panchayat head. His family has also been linked to scandals of their own.
His son, Shiv Kumar, a doctor, is presently jailed in connection with another paper leak. His wife, Mamta Devi, had unsuccessfully contested the 2020 Assembly elections from Harnaut on a Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) ticket.
The Hindu noted that Mukhiya received NEET-UG 2024 papers and answer sheets on his phone from an unidentified professor, even before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe. The CBI, which filed its fifth chargesheet in the case on November 22, 2024, has so far arrested 45 people. A civil court had issued a warrant against Mukhiya on January 27, 2025.
He is currently in EOU custody and is being interrogated. The agency is expected to seek five days’ custody in court before handing him over to the CBI for further questioning. ADG Khan also stated that a recommendation will be made to reward the officers who participated in the successful raid.
