CBI arrests Jharkhand school principal, vice-principal in NEET paper leak case
Agency officials leave for Patna with Oasis School principal Ahsanul Haque and vice-principal Imtiaz Alam; it detains six more from Jharkhand for questioning
A day after arresting two from Patna in the NEET-UG paper leak case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a school principal and vice-principal in Jharkhand on June 28.
CBI officials took Oasis School principal Ahsanul Haque and vice-principal Imtiaz Alam, who was the exam centre coordinator, into custody and rushed to Patna late at night.
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The agency also detained six others from Jharkhand for questioning.
From day one, the school in Hazaribagh was at the centre of the paper leak controversy. The Bihar police had earlier said that a partially burnt question paper recovered from a play school in Patna matched with the question paper received from the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the medical entrance exam. The series of that question paper had then been sent to the NEET-UG examination centre at the Oasis School, they said.
On Wednesday, the CBI questioned the SBI officials and the courier company that transported the NEET question papers.
Four days ago, in a conversation with The Hindu, Mr. Haque had admitted that the box and envelope containing the NEET question papers had been cut open. He said the digital lock was supposed to open by itself at 1.15 p.m. on May 5, the day of the test. However, when it did not open, the outer box had been opened using a cutter. He admitted that the envelope within the box had also been tampered with, and showed a precise cut.
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Sources in the CBI said the vice-principal too had a role in the case. It was found that the question papers were brought from the SBI to the school in the SUV belonging to Mr. Alam. On Thursday, electronic devices, including the printer from the principal’s office, were seized from the Oasis School, CBI sources said.
Questioned for three hours
On Friday morning, an eight-member CBI team took Mr. Haque and Mr. Alam to the school where they were questioned after three hours.
The NEET question papers were delivered to the bank by the Blue Dart courier company using an e-rickshaw on May 3. The same was delivered from the bank to the school on May 5 in the morning.
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Sources in the CBI said the agency also questioned the e-rickshaw driver who delivered the question papers to the bank. A Blue Dart employee was present in the e-rickshaw during delivery, while two other staffers were following them on a motorcycle. Sources said the driver was let off after questioning as he did not have any involvement in the case.
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