Amid an ongoing investigation into alleged paper leaks in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) (UG) 2024, the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police has issued notices to 11 candidates suspected of involvement. These notices were served after their names and roll codes were discovered in the possession of exam mafias. Among these 11 candidates, seven are girls from various districts in Bihar.
The National Testing Agency (NTA), which had previously dismissed any irregularities in NEET 2024, has shared the details of these 11 candidates with Bihar EOU. Earlier, the EOU arrested 13 individuals, including six exam mafias, four candidates, and three parents, all of whom were sent to jail. Acting on information provided by these accused individuals, the EOU recovered partially burnt question papers from Learn Play School, located within the jurisdiction of the Ramakrishna Nagar police station in Patna.
These burnt papers, retrieved from booklet number 6136488, matched the content of the NEET UG 2024 exam paper. Despite multiple requests to the NTA for the original copy of booklet number 6136488 over the past month, including three reminders, the original copy has not been provided.
According to statements from the arrested candidates, they received the question paper on May 4, a day before the examination, and it was identical to the one used in the exam. The NEET results, originally scheduled for release on June 14, were announced on June 4, revealing 67 candidates with perfect scores and thousands achieving over 700 marks.
Out of the 24 lakh candidates who took the exam, more than 13 lakh passed. Interestingly, 1,563 students were granted grace marks, despite no prior notification of such a provision. However, the NTA informed the Supreme Court that the grace marks of 1,563 students would be cancelled, giving them the option to retake the exam on June 23 or forego the compensatory marks.