A view of the CBI office complex, in New Delhi. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday (October 5, 2024), filed a third chargesheet in connection with the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2024 question paper theft case, before the Special Court for CBI cases in Patna against 21 accused.
Earlier on September 20, CBI had filed chargesheet against six accused in the case. With the latest development, the total number of accused chargesheeted in the case is now 40 as CBI had earlier filed the first chargesheet against 13 accused on August 1, 2024.
According to the sources in the CBI, Pankaj Kumar alias Aditya, a resident of Bokaro and a civil engineer arrested on charges of stealing the NEET-UG paper from the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) trunk in Hazaribagh has been identified as one of the key accused. He was with one Raju Singh, who helped him in stealing the paper.
On July 16, the CBI had sealed the Raj Guest House at Ramnagar locality under the Katkamdag police station when accused Pankaj and Raju Singh were arrested.
The CBI has been investigating into the theft and leakage of NEET UG 2024 question paper since June 23, 2024, subsequent to taking over of the Case No. 358/2024, dated 05.05.2024, registered under Sections 407/408/409/120(B) of the IPC, at the Shastrinagar police station (Patna), Bihar.
In the second chargesheet the six accused individuals were Baldev Kumar alias Chintu, Sunny Kumar, Dr. Ahsanul Haque (Principal, Oasis School, Hazaribagh & City Coordinator of Hazaribagh), Mohammad Imtiyaz Alam (Vice-Principal, Oasis School and Center Superintendent), Jamaluddin alias Jamal (Reporter of a Hindi newspaper, Hazaribagh) and Aman Kumar Singh.
Investigation had revealed that NEET (UG) – 2024 question paper was illicitly accessed from the Oasis School, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, on May 5, 2024 in the morning by Pankaj Kumar in connivance with the Hazaribagh NTA city coordinator-cum-Principal of Oasis School and the Centre Superintendent-cum-Vice Principal of the Oasis School and another associate from Hazaribagh.
Earlier, the CBI had revealed that the trunks containing the NEET UG 2024 question papers were brought to the school and kept in the control room on the morning of May 5, 2024. Minutes after the trunks arrived, the Principal and Vice Principal unauthorisedly and illegally allowed access to the room where the trunks were kept, to the mastermind. The sophisticated tools used to open the trunk and access the question papers from the trunk were also seized by the federal agency.
The investigation had revealed that Dr. Ahsanul Haque, Principal of Oasis School in his capacity as City Coordinator, Hazaribagh for the NEET UG 2024 exam, along with Md. Imtiyaz Alam, the Vice-Principal of the same school and the Centre Superintendent for the NEET UG 2024 exam, conspired with other accused to steal the NEET UG question paper.
Published – October 05, 2024 11:42 pm IST
