NEET-UG 2024 paper leak: CBI captures key suspect from Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, Aug 6: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has detained Sushant Kumar, also known as Sushant Samantha, in Bhubaneswar in connection with the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak scandal. Kumar, aged 34, is accused of distributing the stolen exam paper, which was reportedly taken by Pankaj Kumar, alias Aditya, a civil engineer from NIT-Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, from an NTA trunk in Hazaribagh.

Kumar, who operated a coaching center in Saheed Nagar, was apprehended on Saturday. He was then transported to Patna on Sunday and presented to a CBI magistrate, who granted the agency a five-day remand for further questioning. This brings the total number of individuals in CBI custody for this case to five.

The NEET paper leak was initially discovered by Patna Police on the exam day, May 5. The Bihar Police's Economic Offences Unit identified several suspects, including the alleged mastermind Sanjeev Mukhiya from Nalanda. The investigation was later transferred to the CBI following a recommendation from the Union Education Ministry.

In recent developments, the CBI arrested Rakesh Ranjan, alias Rocky, a key figure in the scandal, along with another alleged mastermind and two MBBS students from Bharatpur Medical College who were involved in solving the leaked paper. Technical surveillance had confirmed the presence of Kumar Manglam Bishnoi, a second-year MBBS student, and Deepender Kumar, a first-year student, in Hazaribagh on the day of the exam.