This information surfaced during a CBI hearing in a Gujarat court where they sought custody of the accused. The investigation suggests this scheme aimed to benefit specific Gujarati individuals involved in the exam by enabling them to fill out answer sheets for out-of-state students.
A disturbing web of manipulation has come to light in Gujarat's NEET-UG exam on May 5th. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating a scam where several students from outside the state - Odisha, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh - allege they were pressured to choose Gujarati as their exam language and provide fake permanent addresses within Gujarat.
This information surfaced during a CBI hearing in a Gujarat court where they sought custody of the accused. The investigation suggests this scheme aimed to benefit specific Gujarati individuals involved in the exam by enabling them to fill out answer sheets for out-of-state students.
The CBI's probe further revealed that all targeted candidates were contacted through "unidentified channels" by the accused, who appeared to be controlling both exam centres, as mentioned in a report by India Today.
So far, five out of the six accused have been apprehended by the CBI. This includes Dixit Patel, the owner of Jai Jalaram School in Godhra, which served as one of the exam centres. Patel, arrested in late June, is alleged to have demanded a hefty ₹10 lakh bribe from each student in exchange for guaranteeing success in the NEET-UG exam.
Taking over the investigation from Gujarat police last month, the CBI is now laser-focused on uncovering a potential "out-of-state network" that could be part of a larger conspiracy. This case adds to the growing list of irregularities discovered in this year's NEET-UG exam. The CBI has registered six FIRs - one for a paper leak in Bihar and the remaining five in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra - all linked to impersonation and cheating.
