NEET exam controversy: CBI makes fresh arrest, detains private school owner from Gujarat

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Dixit Patel was detained from his residence and the CBI was taking him to Ahmedabad for interrogation and seeking remand from the court.

India’s premier investigative agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), on Sunday (June 30) arrested the owner of a private school from the western state of Gujarat in connection with alleged malpractices in the NEET-UG exam. Dixit Patel was detained from his residence and the CBI was taking him to Ahmedabad for interrogation and seeking remand from the court.

Public prosecutor Rakesh Thakor earlier said the Gujarat government has handed over the case to CBI, prompting the federal agency to step up the investigation.

“As the case has been handed over to the CBI by the Gujarat government, a CBI team will produce him (Dixit Patel) before a designated court in Ahmedabad to seek his remand,” Thakor said.

Patel reportedly ran Jay Jalaram School in Godhra. It was one of the designated exam centres where the NEET-UG exam, now marred in allegations of rigging and question paper leak, was held on May 5. There are allegations that the school emerges as the fulcrum of all exam-related malpractices and fraud.

According to a report by The Hindu, the school principal demanded $12,000 (INR 10 lakh) from the students to help them clear the test. He is the sixth person to be arrested in the case.

Earlier, Gujarat police had arrested a coaching centre owner and several others for allegedly leaking the question paper ahead of the examination.

The state handed over the case to CBI because reports of malpractices were coming from various states, including the eastern state of Bihar.

Bihar police have arrested several members of the Mukhiya gang in connection with the case. The gang members are also accused of leaking question papers of Bihar Public Service Commission’s (BPSC) Teachers Recruitment Exam (TRE) examinations.

Earlier, on June 5, the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) arrested Ashwani Ranjan, Vikki Kumar, and Aniket, all residents of Bihar and alleged members of the gang.

(With inputs from agencies)