Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Aug 6: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Sushant Kumar, also known as Sushant Samantha, from Bhubaneswar in connection with the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 paper leak case. Kumar, aged 34, is accused of circulating the leaked question paper among the examination mafia. The leak reportedly began when Pankaj Kumar, alias Aditya, a 2017 civil engineering graduate from the National Institute of Technology-Jamshedpur, allegedly stole the paper from the NTA trunk in Hazaribagh.
Sushant Kumar, who operated a coaching center in Saheed Nagar, was apprehended on Saturday. He was taken to Patna on Sunday and produced before the CBI’s exclusive magistrate, who granted the agency a five-day remand for further interrogation.
This arrest brings the total number of individuals in CBI custody for the case to five.
The NEET paper leak was first discovered by Patna Police on the exam day, May 5. The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police identified several suspects, including mastermind Sanjeev Mukhiya from Nalanda district. The case was subsequently transferred to the CBI following a recommendation from the Union Education Ministry.
Earlier, the CBI arrested Rakesh Ranjan, alias Rocky, considered the primary mastermind behind the leak. Additional arrests included another suspected mastermind and two MBBS students from Bharatpur Medical College, who were involved as solvers. Technical surveillance confirmed that Kumar Manglam Bishnoi, a second-year MBBS student, and Deepender Kumar, a first-year student, were present in Hazaribagh on the day of the NEET-UG exam.
