In Hazaribag, Jharkhand, and Dehradun, arrests have been made related to the NEET scandal, with investigative actions also unfolding in Bihar and Gujarat. The authorities have detained a journalist from Hazaribag named Md Jamaludin, aged 35, on charges related to aiding Ehsanul Haque, the principal of Oasis School in Hazaribag. Along with the school’s vice-principal, Imtiaz Alam, Haque, who also served as the district coordinator for NEET under the NTA, has been implicated in the case.
According to officials, the trio was transported to Patna and, following a medical examination, was remanded into CBI custody for five days by a special court as of Saturday. Reports suggest Jamaludin, who also worked as an advertising executive for a local Hindi newspaper, organized a press conference for Haque to present his side of the story regarding the leak. The principal pointed fingers at a local SBI branch for mishandling the exam papers and a private courier service, underlining a longstanding friendship between him and Jamaludin.
In a related event in Uttarakhand, 60-year-old Gangadhar Gunde, a Gurgaon resident, was apprehended by Dehradun police en route to Mussoorie. The Dehradun police, aiding the CBI, noted that Gunde might have connections with other suspects involved in the leak in Bihar. However, detailed information remains undisclosed due to the sensitivity of the ongoing CBI investigation.
Additionally, in Godhra, Gujarat, a sessions court handed a four-day CBI custody for four individuals arrested concerning attempts to cheat in the NEET exam. These individuals include Purshottam Sharma, the principal of Jai Jalaram School; Tushar Bhatt, a teacher at the same institution; Arif Vahora, a suspended BJP member who referred students to Bhatt; and Vibhor Anand Singh from Bihar, engaged in sourcing candidates from various states for the scheme.
The case unfolded when Vahora reportedly handed over Rs 7 lakh in cash to Bhatt, which was eventually discovered in Bhatt’s car on May 5, following a thwarted copy attempt informed by a tip-off to the district collector.