PATNA: In its first arrests in the NEET-UG paper leak case, the CBI on Thursday apprehended two individuals, Manish Prakash and Ashutosh Kumar, from Bihar.
The CBI took over the NEET-UG paper leak case from Bihar police's Economic Offences Unit (EOU) on June 25.
Sources indicated that the two suspects had allegedly arranged accommodation and transportation for NEET-UG examinees on May 4, a day before the exam, in the state capital.
Bihar police’s EOU had previously arrested 13 people, including four examinees in Bihar and six others in Jharkhand.
The central agency arrested Manish Prakash from the state capital for allegedly arranging accommodation at the request of Ashutosh Kumar. The CBI also arrested Ashutosh from the state capital.
Manish’s wife, Archana, informed media persons that the CBI called her around 1:30 pm to inform her of her husband’s arrest.
She claimed that her husband was a social worker who often assisted people in arranging accommodation for students.
“I heard someone asking my husband on the phone to make arrangements for four or five students. We had no idea it would lead to such serious problems,” she remarked.
Sources said that Manish facilitated the transportation of students in his car and allegedly arranged a vacant school where around 25 students received and memorized the leaked papers. Ashutosh allegedly provided lodging for the students at his residence.
Meanwhile, the CBI has conducted raids to nab the prime accused, Sanjiv Mukhiya, who has reportedly fled to Nepal. He is a native of Nalanda district and works as a technical assistant in the horticulture department in Nalanda’s Noorsarai.