Latest news with #SanjeevMukhiya
New Indian Express
06-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Doctor among 2 held in Bihar for NEET-UG '25 exam fraud
PATNA: The Samastipur Police in Bihar arrested two individuals, including an MBBS doctor, for impersonation and fraud during the NEET-UG examination conducted on Sunday. Three mobile phones, a car and Rs 50,000 in cash were recovered from their possession. Investigating officers are ascertaining whether the arrested have links with NEET-UG 2024 examination paper leak kingpin Sanjeev Mukhiya, currently lodged in the Beur central jail near Patna. Mukhiya, who was carrying a bounty of Rs 3 lakh, was arrested from Patna last month. Sanjay Kumar Pandey, ASP, Samastipur, said that a police team detained two individuals who were sitting in a car parked outside an examination centre in Mohanpur. Police officials noticed that their mobile phones contained the admit cards of various candidates. During interrogation, the duo admitted to having replaced weak candidates with scholars (impersonators) in various examination centres in Samastipur and other places to enable them to score well and get admission to medical colleges.
Hans India
04-05-2025
- Hans India
Bihar: NEET UG conducted peacefully amid tight security, no reports of paper leaks
The NEET UG 2025 examination in Bihar was conducted successfully and peacefully on Sunday, with no reports of rigging or question paper leaks, marking a significant improvement from last year's controversy. According to the Education Department, approximately 1.25 lakh candidates appeared for the examination in the state, which was organised by the National Testing Agency (NTA). In Patna alone, 74 examination centres, mostly in government institutions, were designated for the purpose. The Bapu Examination Centre in Kumhrar emerged as the largest centre, accommodating over 15,000 candidates. The administrations of the districts where the examination was held have taken security measures, and guidelines have been strictly enforced. A three-layered security system was implemented across all centres. The administration also installed mobile jammers to block unauthorised communications. The candidates were only allowed to carry admit cards, pens, and transparent water bottles and no mobile phones, Bluetooth devices, or other electronics were permitted; the same rules applied to invigilators. Students began arriving at 11:30 AM, were allowed entry between 12 PM and 1:30 PM, and the exam was conducted from 2 PM to 5 PM. The district magistrates and SPs of respective districts continuously visited all centres of their jurisdictions. The successful execution of the exam comes a year after the NEET 2024 paper leak in Patna, which led to a major scandal. The case, initially probed by Patna Police, was later handed over to the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) and subsequently to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Over 30 individuals, including kingpin Sanjeev Mukhiya, were arrested. Mukhiya, apprehended recently from an apartment in Danapur, is currently in CBI remand and is reported to have revealed names of prominent political leaders and bureaucratic relatives allegedly linked to the racket. The peaceful conduct of NEET UG 2025 has been hailed as a major administrative success, restoring public confidence in the integrity of national-level competitive exams in Bihar.
Hindustan Times
02-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
NEET-UG exam: Bihar Police warn people against rumours, fraud calls
Patna, The Economic Offences Unit of Bihar Police has warned the public and aspirants against rumours and fraud calls by cyber fraudsters to aspirants and parents luring them to provide answer sheets ahead of the NEET-UG, scheduled to be held on May 4 across the country. The EOU, on Friday, issued an advisory saying, "Public is advised not to fall prey to misinformation and fraud calls by cyber fraudsters luring them to provide answer sheets/question papers in the upcoming National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, Undergraduate -2025 examination on May 4." "There is an apprehension that anti-social elements or cyber fraudsters may try to break the integrity of the examination through rumours on social media platforms," it said. The advisory also said that people should immediately inform the police about any such misinformation. "We advise people to avoid falling prey to such deceitful practices. Those found guilty of engaging in such activities will face severe consequences, including legal action. A criminal proceeding will be initiated against those who indulge in such activities," it said. The statement also said that if people receive any suspicious offers or requests from any individual/agency, the matter should be immediately brought to the notice of EOU. The EOU last month arrested Sanjeev Kumar Singh alias Sanjeev Mukhiya, the alleged mastermind of the NEET UG-2024 paper leak case and also wanted in several other cases, from the state capital. He was wanted in connection with his involvement in the paper leak case of the Bihar Public Service Commission Teacher Recruitment Exam held in March 2024. He was also wanted in the paper leak case of the NEET UG-2024, which is now being probed by the CBI. According to officials, Mukhiya's gang is spread across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. The gang was also behind paper leaks in the Haryana veterinary doctor recruitment exam, the Haryana English teachers' recruitment exam and some recruitment exams conducted in UP.
Hans India
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Bihar: CBI secures four-day remand of NEET paper leak mastermind
Patna: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday secured four days' custody of Sanjeev Mukhiya, the alleged mastermind behind the NEET paper leak and several other examination scandals in Bihar. While the agency had sought a seven-day remand to interrogate Mukhiya, the court approved only four days. Mukhiya, who is currently lodged in Beur Jail, was produced before the court after the completion of a prior two-day remand granted to the Economic Offences Unit (EOU). During EOU's interrogation, Sanjeev Mukhiya reportedly made several shocking revelations, including his ambition to use the proceeds and influence of leaked exams to elevate his wife to a prominent political position. Mukhiya evaded arrest for nearly 11 months, despite a Rs 3 lakh bounty placed against him. He was finally arrested on April 24 during a raid by Patna Police at an apartment in Danapur, Patna, following a tip-off. CBI investigators are now preparing to grill Mukhiya with specific questions related to the NEET paper leak, as they attempt to uncover the larger nexus of organised examination fraud. Officials believe that more arrests and significant disclosures could follow in the coming days. Mukhiya is believed to have orchestrated multiple high-profile leaks beyond NEET, making him one of the most wanted figures in India's exam corruption cases. This development comes amid growing public and political outcry over the sanctity of national-level entrance exams and the need for stringent reforms to prevent such leaks in the future. Sanjeev Mukhiya is believed to have leaked the NEET UG 2024 question paper before the exam held on May 5, 2024. Investigations revealed that students were charged up to Rs 40 lakh each and made to memorise answers at a private school in Patna. Mukhiya was allegedly running an organised gang in Bihar to leak the question paper. His son, along with a number of relatives and youths of Nalanda, were involved in the question paper leak scam.
Indian Express
26-04-2025
- Indian Express
‘Identified desperate parents, charged Rs 8-15 lakh per candidate': Who is NEET paper leak ‘mastermind' Sanjeev Mukhiya?
In the early hours of Friday, a midnight operation in an apartment in Patna's Danapur ended an 11-month manhunt for a 51-year-old Nalanda resident, who carried a Rs 3 lakh bounty and faces charges in at least four examination scams across multiple states. A joint team of personnel from the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Bihar's Economic Offences Unit (EOU) and Patna's Special Task Force raided an apartment near Saguna More, arresting Sanjeev Mukhiya, the alleged mastermind behind the undergraduate medical entrance exam, NEET-UG 2024. 'He was constantly on the move, slipping between states and borders, from Uttar Pradesh to Nepal,' Nayyar Husnain Khan, Additional Director General of the EOU told The Indian Express. 'Several police units were tracking him for a long time,' the officer said. 'Yesterday (Thursday), inputs placed him near Saguna More and Danapur police station.' Following the tip-off, EOU teams tracked movements in the area and narrowed down the apartment building. The officer said, 'After verifying his presence in a specific building, we coordinated with Patna's Senior Superintendent of Police, and with Danapur police's support, Sanjeev Mukhiya was arrested during a raid between 1 and 1.30 am.' Initial findings suggested that Mukhiya was 'visiting a woman renter' in the apartment, ADG Khan said. 'We're investigating her identity, connection, and any case involvement.' Mukhiya was interrogated by the EOU and CBI on Friday. Mukhiya, a technical assistant at Udyan Vidyalaya in Nalanda's Noorsarai, allegedly orchestrated what the EOU calls an 'organised and professional' interstate solver gang. 'He exploited every layer of the examination system,' Khan said, detailing how Mukhiya allegedly executed the NEET-UG leak. 'He identified desperate parents with funds to secure their children's futures, and charged anywhere between Rs 8-15 lakh per candidate, even higher in some cases,' the officer said. Mukhiya allegedly manipulated vulnerabilities at every stage of the exam machinery, the ADG said, from printing presses to transportation to centres. 'In Hazaribagh, he arranged for question paper photos to be extracted with coordination from insiders.' Mukhiya then allegedly 'summoned candidates to guest houses, locked them in overnight, and told them to memorise answers,' the ADG revealed. 'No physical copies were given to avoid traces.' The next morning, candidates were allegedly 'dropped at exam centres', armed with illicit knowledge. Scam unravels The scam was unravelled on May 5, 2024, when Patna police detected irregularities during the NEET-UG exam. On June 23, 2024, the case was transferred to the CBI, which named Mukhiya as the 'kingpin'. The case mentioned eight accused, including Mukhiya, middlemen Nitish Kumar and Amit Anand from Munger, and Sikandar Yadavendu, a junior engineer. The gang's reach extended beyond NEET, with involvement in leaks for Bihar's Teacher Recruitment Exam (TRE-3) in March 2024 to the Uttar Pradesh Constable Recruitment Exam, and recruitment tests for veterinary doctors and English teachers in Haryana, officials alleged. According to ADG Khan, this isn't Mukhiya's first brush with the law. In 2010, he was linked to exam cheating using Bluetooth devices in Bihar. In 2016, Uttarakhand Police arrested him for a constable recruitment exam leak, and around the same period, Bihar Police detained him for a block-level exam scam targeting SC/ST candidates. 'Despite jail time, he resumed his illicit trade. He found loopholes in the system and figured out how to exploit them,' Khan noted. The EOU had earlier arrested five members of Mukhiya's gang — Paramjit Singh, Baldev Kumar, Prashant Kumar, Ajit Kumar, and Rajiv Kumar — in Jharkhand's Deoghar, on June 21, 2024. Baldev allegedly received a PDF of the leaked NEET-UG paper on May 5, 2024. Patna police also nabbed 13 others, including students, parents, and middlemen. According to police, the gang operated across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and beyond, with Mukhiya allegedly paying salaries and providing two-wheelers to aides. A disproportionate assets case was filed against him on October 23, 2024, after raids on four of his properties uncovered property documents, vehicles, bank deposits, and gold and silver jewellery far exceeding his known income as a technical assistant. Origins of a paper leak 'kingpin' Mukhiya's criminal roots trace back to the 1990s, when he worked under Ranjeet Don, a notorious paper leak figure from Hilsa, Nalanda. Don, who allegedly 'purchased' an MBBS degree from Darbhanga Medical College and was arrested in 2003 for leaking the Common Admission Test (CAT) papers, mentored Mukhiya before he built his own network. Mukhiya's son, Dr Shiv Kumar, an MBBS graduate from Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), was arrested in 2024 for the TRE-3 leak. His wife, Mamata Devi, served as mukhiya of Bhutaha Khar Panchayat from 2016 to 2021. This was what got Sanjeev the moniker, 'Mukhiya'. A former Janata Dal (United) member, Mamata Devi contested the 2020 Bihar Assembly election from Harnaut on a Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) ticket, losing to JD(U)'s Hari Narayan Singh.
