New Delhi Police have arrested a gang accused of providing proxy candidates for the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET), a crucial medical entrance exam in India. Two consultant agents, Kishori Lal from Rajasthan and Prabhat Kumar from Bihar, along with proxy students, are in custody. Police are searching for Salman from Uttar Pradesh and two other agents linked to the racket.
"We had received a complaint on 5th May regarding NEET exam that proxy students had arrived to write exams, instead of the original candidate. We registered an FIR and transferred the case to Special Staff. During the course of investigation, we found that commission agent/consultant agent mislead candidates into using proxy candidates in their place and collect large sums of money from their family and them in this regard...We have come to know that they artificially mixed the photos of the original as well as proxy candidate and pasted them on the forms so that the couldn't be identified at the centre. We have arrested two people so far - Kishori Lal (r/o Rajasthan) and Prabhat Kumar (r/o Bihar). Both of them are consultant agents. We have also arrested proxy students. Besides this, we are looking for Salman (r/o of UP) and two agents,"said Devesh Kumar Mahla, Deputy Commissioner of Police for New Delhi.
This arrest comes amidst controversy surrounding the NEET exam held earlier this month in Meghalaya. Student unions, including the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and the Jaintia Students’ Union (JSU), have petitioned for a re-test citing alleged discrepancies. Reports indicate confusion due to distribution of two question paper sets labeled MNOP and QRST. Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has assured the matter is being addressed with the National Testing Agency (NTA), the body responsible for conducting NEET exams.