Patna cops say NEET question & answers given to 20 aspirants day before exam

Patna: The question papers of National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-UG and their answers were provided to around 20 aspirants a day before the May 5 exam, Patna police sources said on Thursday, days after arresting 13 people, including four examinees and their parents, in this connection.
They said the candidates from different places in Bihar were brought to a rented accommodation at Ramkrishna Nagar, where they were provided with the question papers.

“During interrogation, the accused revealed that Sikander Yadavendu (56) — also among those arrested on May 5 — had rented two-three rooms at the two-storey house in Monhanpur locality of Ramkrishna Nagar, close to Patna bypass, where he brought more than 20 medical aspirants on May 4 in two cars. The vehicles were later seized,” said a senior police officer on the condition of anonymity, adding Yadavendu, a native of Samastipur district, gave the aspirants the question papers and answers.
Search on for other accused, say police
“We are trying to verify the statement and find out the whereabouts of the other aspirants involved in the matter.” “Ahead of the NEET, he rented the rooms at the secluded house, where a play school used to run before the outbreak of Covid pandemic. From there only, the candidates were taken to the exam centres on May 5,” the police officer added.
Patna police had received a tip-off about the suspected paper leak about a couple of hours before the exam. Yadavendu and his driver Bittu Kumar (38), a resident of Rohtas district, were arrested from Shastri Nagar police station area, and the aspirants and their parents were held after the exam. “When the police team raided his rented flat, they recovered some burned question papers, which are being verified by the investigation team. Three others – Roshan Kumar, Nitish Kumar and Amit Anand – were arrested from the flat with laptops and cellphones,” the officer said.