Patna: After months of hard work, lakhs of candidates appeared for the NEET UG exam on May 5, with the dream of getting admission in medical courses in their hearts, but now their hard work seems to be going waste as Patna Police claims that the NEET UG paper was leaked before the exam, although the National Test Agency, which conducts the exam, is denying the claims.
More Than 24 Arrests So Far: Patna Police has arrested more than 24 people in the case shockingly including 11 medical student solvers.
Suspected Deal of Rs 20 Lakh Each: Patna Police has said that the solvers who appeared in the exam in place of others, were given some money in advance and were promised five lakh rupees each after the exam. Police also claim that the solver gangs had made a deal for Rs 20 lakh each candidate.
How Does the Exam Mafia Work?
Former IPS officer Amitabh Das said that the paper leak gang works on three levels and the people working at all three levels are different. A group of affluent people approach the solver gang with the desire to make their weak children doctors and then the conspiracy of paper leak begins.
Dealer Gang: This gang finds clients and after exchanging money with the client, also helps in finding a face similar to the candidate. After the search for the 'scholar' who will take the exam is completed, the money deal is done. The gang works in such a way that the 'scholar' knows only the name of those from whom they have to take money.
Solvers Gang: This gang looks for brilliant children who are greedy for money and targets first and second year students, then builds closeness with them and lures them with money. First and second year students are targeted because given their gullibility.
Paper Leak Gang: This gang is engaged in the work of leaking papers. For this, this gang makes personal relations with the officers and employees of various commissions, examination boards. Some of them are included in their group and they get the paper leaked. The gang also keeps an eye on the place where the paper is being printed and gets the paper leaked from there.
'Somewhere They Make a Mistake': Former IPS officer Amitabh Kumar Das said that the intelligence system of the police is very strong even as the examination mafia becomes so overconfident about their exploits that they make some mistake and the police nab them.
"Many times they openly book a resort and start preparing on a projector inside it, many times their actions are such that they are suspicious and get caught. Apart from this, the exam mafia can find a similar face but the biometrics cannot be matched, which exposes the truth," Das said.
'Greater Chance of Paper Leak in Offline Exams:' Ashutosh Jha, a teacher at PACE Academy, which prepares students for medical exams, said that there is a greater chance of paper leak in offline exams. “Actually, after the paper is printed, it reaches different exam centers in the country, during this time, if there is a small mistake, the mafia succeeds in leaking the paper,” Jha said.
"NEET is conducted in offline mode. About 24 lakh candidates participate in it. There are thousands of centers across the country for the exam. The question paper is prepared at the headquarters of the National Testing Agency in Delhi. After which the question papers are sent to different centers. During this time, there is the highest chance of paper leak," added Jha.