NEET scam: Who are solver gangs? Where and how do they operate?
Solver gangs seem to be shadowy networks that manage to obtain and circulate solved question papers via different mediums to students willing to pay the price
On May 5, on the day of the NEET-UG exam this year, the biometric data of two students taking the exam at Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan Mehta Vidyalaya in Delhi, failed to match. When the authorities got suspicious they found that the candidates were actually two second and first year MBBS students, who were acting as proxies for the real candidates.
The arrest of these two students studying in medical colleges in West Bengal and Uttarakhand, led the police to their handlers, Prabhat Kumar and Kishor Lal, who were subsequently arrested from a hotel in Noida. Kumar and Lal, who hail from Rajasthan and Bihar respectively, allegedly worked as medical school admissions consultants, are part of what is known as ‘solver gangs’.
Meanwhile, on June 23, the Bihar Economic Offences Unit also busted another NEET question paper leak racket run by a ‘solver gang’.
According to police sources, this solver gang ran an inter-state sophisticated network across states like Jharkhand, Bihar and Gujarat to provide leaked NEET exam papers to aspiring candidates and offer proxy exam candidates for students.
So, who are these solver gangs?
Who are solver gangs?
‘Solver Gangs' seem to be shadowy networks that manage to obtain and circulate solved question papers via different mediums to students willing to pay the right price.
How do they operate?
Here is one kind of a modus operandi used by the gangs that was uncovered by the Bihar police.
In the recent arrest made in Jharkhand, the police found that the ‘solver gang' member had received a PDF of the solved question paper of the NEET-UG exam on his phone on May 4, a day before the examination. The gang member, who has been identified as Baldev Kumar, alias Chintu, is allegedly one of the key architects of the NEET exam paper leak this year. It is now still not clear at this stage who sent him the question paper.
After receiving the solved question paper, Baldev and his associates took copies from the Wi-Fi printer in a school called Learn Boys Hostel and Play school.
The candidates were ferried by taxis in a discreet manner to the school and formed into groups and told to memorise the text, said an Indian Express report. Further, the report said a drop-off point was fixed about 2 km away from this school by the gang to take the candidates to Learn Boys Hostel and Play School. Gang members were present at this drop-off point.
A taxi was used by the gang members to take the candidates from this drop-off point to Learn Boys Hostel and Play School and back.
What do these solver gang members charge?
Members who are involved in this racket charge anything between ₹32 lakh to ₹40 lakh for the papers. If aspiring medical candidates need proxies they have to fork out ₹20 lakh to ₹25 lakh, as revealed by the medical students who are caught in Delhi NEET exam this year.
Who are part of these solver gangs?
The Bihar EOU, which had been handling the investigation until the Centre ordered a CBI probe, has arrested 18 individuals so far, in connection with the case.
Baldev Kumar, alias Chintu, who was recently arrested by the EOU from Jharkhand’s Deoghar district is considered to be a big fish in this pond.
Though, according to news reports, police has claimed that one Sanjeev Mukhikya is the kingpin of this NEET exam paper leak. This was confirmed by Mukhiya’s son, Shiv Kumar, who is an accused in the teacher recruitment question paper leak conducted by Bihar Public Service Commission and is currently languishing in Beur Central Jail in Patna.
Sanjeev Mukhiya alias Lutan, who is absconding, is said to be the kingpin of this inter-state ‘solver gang’.
However, police are also suspecting notorious figures in paper leak scams like Ravi Atri.
Ravi Atri, who is currently in jail, has leaked the Pre-Medical Test exam paper in 2012 and the AIIMS PG exam paper in 2015. Recently, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force has filed a chargesheet against Atri and 18 other accused in the constable recruitment scam. Though, his involvement in the NEET-UG exam is still not confirmed.
Where do these gang members get the question papers?
The Bihar EOU officials is trying to find where the leak could have happened. They are exploring the role of couriers who transport the question papers from one city to another and banks where the papers were kept. Media reports said the question papers were transported from Ahmedabad to Hazaribagh via Ranchi through Blue Dart.
Stored at the local SBI branch, they were then taken to Oasis School in Hazaribagh town.
