PATNA: Sanjeev Kumar Singh alias Sanjeev Mukhiya, the alleged mastermind in the NEET undergraduate 2024 question paper leak case, was arrested in Patna on April 25.
The Bihar government had recently announced a reward of Rs 3 lakh for information on Mukhiya.
Acting on a tip-off, the Special Operation Group (SOG) of the Special Task Force (STF) in collaboration with the district police conducted a raid at an apartment near Saguna Mor under Danapur police station limits.
He was arrested from a flat and was immediately taken to an undisclosed location for interrogation.
He was also wanted in connection with the leak of question papers of the State constable recruitment examination on October 1, 2023, the teachers’ recruitment examination on March 15, 2024, and the NEET UG examination on May 5, 2024.
While the NEET UG 2024 question paper leak case is being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the two other cases are being investigated by the Economic Offence Unit (EOU) of the state police.
The EOU had earlier sent a recommendation to the state government to announce a cash reward for Mukhiya’s arrest.
A native of Nagarnausa in Nalanda district, Sanjeev was on the run ever since a case was registered against him in the state capital in May last year.
“We will take him on remand for further interrogation,” said a senior officer of EOU.
Nayyar Hasnain Khan, ADG, EOU, confirmed the arrest of Mukhiya from the Danapur area on the outskirts of the state capital.
He said that the accused was evading arrest for a long.
Sanjeev Mukhiya, also known as Lutan Mukhiya, is active in other states, including Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, luring job aspirants.
He was serving as a technical assistant at Horticulture College, Noorsarai (Nalanda) when his name figured in the NEET UG 2024 question paper leak case. Sanjeev was arrested for the first time on a similar charge in 2010.
The Mukhiya gang would provide question papers in advance to the candidates and ask for a huge amount of money.
His wife, Mamta Kumari, had unsuccessfully contested the assembly election from Harnaut on the ticket of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP).
His son Shiv Kumar is an MBBS doctor. Shiv, along with 35 others, is languishing in the Beur central jail on the charges of leaking question papers of various competitive examinations.