Details Emerge on NEET Question Paper Leak and Arrests

Overview of the NEET Question Paper Leak Case

A recent report from a Delhi court has shed light on the sequence of arrests related to the NEET question paper leak, as detailed in a charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Currently, 13 individuals are in judicial custody in connection with this case. The CBI initiated its investigation on May 13, beginning with the arrests of Manglilal, Dinesh, and Vikas Bival in Rajasthan.

According to the findings, these individuals had received a leaked PDF via Telegram on April 29. On the same day, the agency apprehended Yash Yadav in Gurugram and Shubham Khairnar in Nashik. Khairnar was identified as the person who coordinated the distribution of the leaked chemistry questions.

The charge sheet indicates that another significant arrest occurred on May 13 in Pune, where Dhananjay Lokhande allegedly attempted to destroy evidence by destroying his phone before being caught. The following day, Manisha Sanjay Waghmare was also arrested in Pune. After interrogating her, the agency arrested the alleged conspirator P.V. Kulkarni from Latur on May 15.

On May 16, Manisha Mandhare was taken into custody in Pune, followed by the arrest of Shivraj Motegaonkar, the founder of a coaching center in Latur, on May 17. The last arrests in this case occurred on May 22 with Manisha Sanjay Hawaldar from Latur, and on May 26, Tejas Shah from Pune and Dr. Manoj Shirure from Latur were apprehended.

The charge sheet revealed that forensic imaging of mobile devices uncovered this conspiracy, including deleted WhatsApp chats and the leaked PDF documents. The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) for candidates seeking admission to medical courses. On May 12, the NTA canceled the NEET-UG exam held on May 3 amid allegations of question paper leaks.

A re-examination was conducted on June 21. Following protests, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned due to the NEET question paper leak controversy.