A major examination fraud case uncovered during the Re-NEET examination in Bihar’s Lakhisarai district has revealed links to Jharkhand, triggering concern in academic circles.
Among those arrested are Poonam Kumari of Giridih and Chanchal Kumari of Palamu, with the involvement of Poonam — a 2021 Jharkhand Intermediate Science state topper — raising serious questions about the extent of the network.
According to Lakhisarai police, 30 people have been detained in connection with the racket. Nine of them are students from various medical colleges who are accused of appearing in the examination on behalf of other candidates.
Poonam Kumari, a resident of Barmasia village in Giridih and currently pursuing BSc Nursing at Banaras Hindu University, and Chanchal Kumari of Sierbhuka village in Palamu, a final-year BAMS student at Government Ayurvedic College, Balangir, Odisha, are among those arrested.
Family members of both accused expressed shock over the development. Poonam’s parents said they had no prior knowledge of the incident. Chanchal’s brother, Shambhu Kushwaha, said police informed the family that she had been caught allegedly writing the examination for another candidate. He claimed she may have been misled into joining the racket.
The case has also raised concerns over the biometric verification process. Responsibility for biometric authentication had been assigned to EDCIL, which reportedly outsourced the task to Innovative View Company.
Questions are being raised as the firm had allegedly been blacklisted following complaints of irregularities in examinations conducted in Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.
Police have arrested the alleged kingpin, Arjun Raj Singh, along with two brothers, Manish and Nitish, from Nalanda. During the operation, investigators seized two biometric machines and three satellite phones, while 14 personnel associated with examination duties were also detained.
Cases have been registered at Kabaiya and Kiul police stations, and investigators are probing the reach of the network and the involvement of others.
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