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With four out of five NEET ‘solver gang’ arrests from the district, no easy answers in Nalanda
According to the police, the ‘solver gang’ is spread across Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat
Until recently, every time Baldev Kumar drove his SUV into the dusty lanes of Gulariya Bigha, everyone in the nondescript village in Bihar’s Nalanda district would watch him in awe. While the youngsters looked up to him as their role model, the village elders saw in him an obedient son who built a new house for his parents.
But things took a quick turn for Baldev when his name appeared in newspapers and on television channels — Baldev alias Chintu was among five members of a ‘solver gang’ arrested in connection with the alleged paper leak of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2024. Baldev, the police said, is a close aide of Sanjeev Mukhiya, who is believed to be the kingpin of an inter-State gang.
“Now, we know where he got all the money from. He has brought such bad name to our village,” said Prem Ranjan Prasad, a resident of Gulariya Bigha.
What made matters worse for Gulariya Bigha and other nearby villages is that four of the five arrested are residents of Nalanda district, according to the police. The other arrested members include Panku Kumar and Paramjit Singh alias Bittu from Chhabilapur in Nalanda, Rajeev Kumar alias Karu from Ekangarsarai in Nalanda, and Mukesh Kumar from Agamkuan in Patna.
Even Mukhiya, who also goes by the name of Lootan, is from Balwapar under Bhutwakhar panchayat of Nagarnausa block in Nalanda district. The 53-year-old was posted as a technical assistant at the Nalanda College of Horticulture in Noorsarai.
According to the police, the ‘solver gang’ is spread across Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat. Mukhiya allegedly runs the gang with Ravi Atri, offering leaked question papers or proxies to take exams.
Baldev, officials said, received the PDF version of the solved question paper on his mobile phone a day before the exam that was conducted on May 5.
He and his accomplices then used a Wi-Fi printer at the Learn Boys Hostel and Play School in Nandlal Chhapra in Patna and distributed the copies to aspiring candidates on the eve of the examination so that they could memorise the answers overnight.
Ravindra alias Aman Singh was the last arrest made by CBI from Dhanbad. Aman is said to be the key person in the case and very close to Rocky, who is currently absconding, and is a relative of Mukhiya.
Epicentre of paper leak
On June 19, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new campus of Nalanda University, he said Nalanda was a symbol of India’s academic heritage. Little did the villagers know that days after his address, the ancient hub of knowledge would emerge as the epicentre of the NEET-UG paper leak case.
Gulariya Bigha villagers said the incident has left such a deep impact on Baldev’s father Omprakash Prasad that he left his house after the alleged involvement of his son came to light. “Nobody knows where his father is. People too are maintaining a distance from his family,” said Mr. Prem Ranjan.
As a big lock hangs on the door of the new house built by Baldev, villagers often find themselves explaining to visitors how no one wants to associate with Baldev’s family.
“Nobody is there in his house, you better leave,” said an elderly man standing among a bunch of villagers attending to visiting mediapersons.
Amrit Raj, a village youth, said apart from the fact that Baldev went to study in Patna, villagers didn’t know much about his occupation. “He used to come to the village in his car and would often leave the next day. He would hardly talk to people of his age,” he said.
Not too far away in Gajendra Bigha village in Hilsa block, when a CBI team went to search the house of Rocky on June 30, it was locked from outside. The Central team broke the lock in front of two eyewitnesses — Gajendra Naresh and his wife Sarita Devi, both ward members.
“His real name is Rakesh Ranjan, son of Suresh Choudhary. The CBI officials called us as eyewitnesses and broke the lock of the house in front of us. After searching the house for nearly an hour, they seized photocopies of some documents, including a cheque book, voter ID and PAN cards,” Mr. Naresh said, adding that the fact that a CBI team came to conduct a raid here is itself a matter of embarrassment for the villagers.
“Though his house is not very far from ours, we don’t know much about the family members as they mostly kept to themselves,” Ms. Devi said.
‘My son is innocent’
In Nagarnausa, Mukhiya’s father Janak Kishore Prasad was not ready to believe that his son could be involved in such a scandal.
“My son is completely innocent. He is a social worker and always helps people. His name is being dragged into the matter as there are some local politicians who are worried over his growing popularity. Now that the CBI is investigating the case, everything would become clear soon,” Mr. Prasad told The Hindu.
Villagers though don’t seem to agree with the doting father. “It doesn’t matter what he says now. The fact that he has ruined the reputation of Nalanda cannot be denied,” said a villager who did not wish to be named.
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