NEET paper leak case: Bihar Police investigation points to modus operandi, flaws in system
CBI takes over NEET paper leak case from the Economic Offence Unit of Bihar Police and the Union education ministry constituting a committee to look into the loopholes in the system and suggest reforms to streamline the examination process, the probe by Bihar Police has thrown up some red flags which will form the crux of future probe and reforms in the case.
Habitual Offenders
The names which have come up in the NEET paper leak are not new. They have a history of paper leaks. Sanjeev Mukhiya, still absconding, has been in jail in the past on similar cases. His son, Dr Shiv Kumar, is in jail in relation to the paper leak of the Bihar Public Service Commission Teachers Recruitment Examination. Others too have been in the business for long with inter-state networks, which gets activated when a big examination like NEET is announced.
Higher Reward
Sources told ET that in the early days, these criminals would charge between ₹5 lakh and ₹10 lakh for a clerical and teacher-level job and ₹10-15 lakh for exams like NEET. In the current case, students were asked to pay ₹30-₹40 lakh and more than 300 students were targeted. This takes the total money involved to around ₹100 crore. To get this money, they were willing to go to any extent to 'fix' the system.
Operational Precision
With the advent of technology, the operation has become more precise. NEET papers were taken out after breaking the seal of an envelope that was going to an exam centre in Hazaribagh. It was restored and it looked as if it was never broken.
