NEET-UG exam row: Student who got leaked papers scored only 185 marks out of 720

A 22-year-old student from the Indian state of Bihar, who admitted to getting access to the leaked exam papers of the NEET-UG examination, scored only 185 marks out of the total 720,with a percentile score of 54.84, media reports said on Tuesday (June 25). The student, identified as Anurag Yadav, disclosed to the police that he received the leaked question papers and answer sheets from his uncle Sikandar Yadavendu, who orchestrated the handover in Bihar, a report by Business Today said.

The papers were handed to Yadav on the night of May 4, just before the scheduled NEET exam. Yadav confirmed the questions provided (in the leaked papers) matched those in the actual examination held at DY Patil school.

The Business Today report said that the 22-year-old was a student of a prominent NEET exam coaching institute in Rajasthan's Kota.

The disparities in scores

An investigation revealed that Yadav scored185 marks out of the total 720,with a percentile score of 54.84. Adetailed look at his scores revealed a mismatch- showing an85.8 percentile in Physics, 51 percentile in Biology, and only 5 percentile in Chemistry, suggesting an inadequate time to memorise answers for the Chemistry questions.

Both Yadav and his uncle Yadavendu have been arrested by the police.

Upon being interrogated, Yadavendu revealed he facilitated the connection offour students with Amit Anand and Nitish Kumar, who demanded $35,948- 38,345 (around Rs 30-32 lakh) per student for the leaked question papers

Amit Anand is believed to be the mastermind of the paperleak and Nitish Kumar is the main accused in the case.

Yadavendu inflated the price for the leaked papers to nearly $48,000 out of greed, the Business Today report further said.

Paper leak case handed over to CBI

The NEET-UG paper leak case has been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). On Monday, the Bihar government issued a notification for the same.

"In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 6 of the Delhi Police Establishment Act, 1946 (Act 25 of 1946), the Governor of Bihar is pleased to give his assent to the Delhi Special Police Establishment, who have been entrusted with the exercise of powers and jurisdiction in the state and other places related to the case to investigate/supervise and investigate the FIR No. 5117081240358, dated 05.05.2024, registered at the Shashtri Nagar Police Station in Patna under sections 407, 408, 409, 120 of the IPC, which relate to irregularities in the NEET (UG) 2024 examination held on May 5, 2024," the notification said.

Following a takeover of the investigation, the CBI formed special teams to probe the case.

Meanwhile, in the latest news from the case, the infamous Sanjeev Mukhiya gang was in touch with a nexus of cyber criminals to get the papers leaked.

(With inputs from agencies)