NEET re-exam impersonation: MBBS students, biometric staff among 30 held

Patna: A major impersonation racket allegedly operating during the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination was busted in Bihar’s Lakhisarai district on Sunday with police arresting 30 people, including MBBS students, biometric staff and other accomplices accused of facilitating dummy candidates at examination centres.According to a statement issued by the Bihar Police Headquarters (PHQ), elaborate arrangements had been made to ensure a fair and malpractice-free examination. “However, during the test, we received inputs that fake/scholar/dummy candidates were trying to appear at some centres instead of the original examinees,” the statement said.The information was verified by centre superintendents, static teams and flying squads, following which a special team led by the SDM and SDPO, Lakhisarai, conducted intensive checks.

The operation resulted in arrests from three centres — KRK College, Kendriya Vidyalaya and High School Hasanpur.The PHQ said, “With the collusion of biometric staff, dummy candidates were allowed entry to take the exam for real aspirants. Forged Aadhaar cards were used as ID after document fabrication.”Among those arrested are nine alleged impersonators or paper solvers. They include students of medical, nursing, dental and ayurvedic colleges from Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Delhi and Rajasthan.

Police also arrested an original candidate from Nalanda and two alleged accomplices — Arpit Singh of Muzaffarpur, a fourth-year MBBS student of Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital (ANMMCH), Gaya, and Ranjit Kumar of Nalanda, a fourth-year MBBS student of Bhagwan Mahavir Institute of Medical Sciences (BMIMS), Nalanda.Eighteen biometric staff members, including three supervisors and 15 operators from Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura and Nawada districts, were arrested.

One of them, Mayank Kashyap of Vaishali, is a fourth-year MBBS student at Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH).“Police have registered three separate cases including one at Kiul and two at Kavaiya police station. Further investigation is underway to trace the wider network and identify more beneficiaries,” the PHQ statement said.The arrests come weeks after the May 3 NEET-UG paper leak that led to the re-examination.

Police believe the involvement of biometric company employees and medical students points to an organised interstate network.According to police sources, the probe found that medical students had allegedly struck deals worth Rs 30 crore to Rs 40 crore to appear in the examination in place of genuine candidates. Police suspect Arpit to be a key figure in the network. He had earlier been questioned by the CBI in connection with NEET-related cases and was interrogated multiple times during the 2024 NEET paper leak probe.ANMMCH principal Dr Lata Shukla Dwivedi said Arpit had been under the scanner of investigating agencies for some time and could no longer be allowed to continue his medical studies if found involved in such serious malpractice.“A meeting of academic council has been called on Tuesday, where heads of different departments will discuss the matter and take a final decision regarding the student. An e-mail message was sent on Monday on the available ID at the college office questioning the student, why he was absent without information, while all leaves had been cancelled,” she said.(With inputs from Alok Kumar in Gaya)