NEET scam: Varanasi Police makes arrests, impersonators charged Rs 5 lakh to write exams

Varanasi: In another instance of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) scam, a medical student from the King George's Medical University (KGMU) and another person have been arrested by the Varanasi Police. They have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the NEET solvers' scam. The medico has reportedly been identified as Dr Osama Shahid and the other person is Abhay Kumar Mehta, said the police on Wednesday (September 15).

This comes after an inter-state gang of solvers was busted during NEET exam-2021 in the Sarnath area on Monday (September 13). The medico and his accomplice were arrested from the Pandeypur crossing on Tuesday.

Earlier, the police had arrested a BDS student Juli Kumari, who was allegedly impersonating the actual candidate, and her mother in this connection.

Varanasi Commissioner of police A. Satish Ganesh, said Dr Osama, a native of Mau district, who had appeared in MBBS final year exam at KGMU Lucknow this year, used to find aspirants on behalf of a Patna-based solvers' gang.

"This gang used to take contracts to send impersonators to appear in the entrance exam. In case a candidate qualified in the exam, the gang charged anything from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 40 lakh from the candidate," he said.

Mehta is the brother of arrested BDS-II student Juli Kumari. He had convinced Juli to appear in NEET exam in place of an aspirant from Tripura - Hena Biswas - after getting a proposal of Rs 5 lakh from the solvers' gang.

"Police have recovered copies of 15 admit cards, four photos of aspirants, four receipts of couriers, two mobile phones containing chatting of gang members, details of money transaction and other items," he added.

"Both the persons arrested on Tuesday have divulged the names of the members of their gang belonging to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other states. Several teams of police have been formed to nab the other members as well as the kingpin of the gang," he said.

An FIR has been lodged under section 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (fraudulently or dishonestly uses as genuine any document which he knows or has reason to believe to be a forged document) and 34 (criminal act is done by several persons in furtherance of the common intention) of IPC against them with Sarnath police.

(With IANS inputs)