A candidate, his uncle and two middlemen have been arrested in Bihar for allegedly leaking the question paper of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (UG) 2024 on the eve of the May 5 examination.
As per their confession statements to the police accessed by News18, two middlemen named Nitish Kumar and Amit Anand became friends with one Sikandar P Yadavendu who worked as a junior engineer in the Danapur Municipal Council. During their conversations, the duo boasted to Yadavendu that they could help any candidate clear any competitive exam by leaking the question paper and that they charge Rs 30-35 lakh per candidate.
Yadavendu then allegedly told them about his nephew Anurag Yadav and three other students. In his confession, Yadavendu said he charged the boys Rs 40 lakh each and intended to pocket the difference.
All four confessions mention how the boys were taken to the middlemen on the night of May 4, the eve of the exam, and were made to memorise the question paper and the answers. The candidate Anurag Yadav mentioned the paper he had memorized and the one he received the next day at the exam centre were the same.
All four were arrested by the police when Yadavendu was caught during a vehicle check on May 5.
Here’s a look at their purported confession statements to the Shastri Nagar police:
SIKANDAR P YADAVENDU — CANDIDATE’S UNCLE
“My name is Sikandar P Yadavendu, age 56 years… I am giving my statement without fear or pressure, without greed or temptation before the inspector at Shastri Nagar Police Station.
I became friends with Amit Anand and Nitish Kumar in the Nagar Parishad office and we kept talking and sharing our stories for a long time.
During these conversations, I was told by Amit Anand and Nitish Kumar that they can a child passed in any exam/competition by leaking the question paper. When I told them about the NEET exam, they told me they will charge Rs 30-32 lakh to get a child to pass the NEET exam. I agreed and we kept meeting from time to time.
I told them I know four boys — Ayush Kumar, age 19, son of Abhishek Kumar, resident of Sultanpur in Patna district; Anurag Yadav, age 22, son of Sanjeev Kumar, resident of Parida in Samastipur district; Abhishek Kumar, age 21, son of Awadhesh Kumar, resident of Kako Block Gokhool Marg in Ranchi district; and Shivnandan Kumar, age 19, son of Ramswaroop Yadav, resident of Haraiya in Gaya district.
I went to Ramakrishna Nagar on the night of May 4 and 5, 2024 with the boys. Amit Anand and Nitish Kumar brought the question paper and made everyone memorise it along with the answers so that they could pass the exam.
Meanwhile, out of greed, I quoted Rs 40 lakh to each boy instead of Rs 30-32 lakh.
On May 5, 2024, during checking of vehicles near Bailey Road, Rajvanshi Nagar, I was caught by the police of Shastri Nagar station with the admit cards of all the boys and the Renault Duster car number JH01BW0019. I confessed my crime before the police.
This is my statement. I read and understood my statement and signed it after finding it to be correctly written.”
ANURAG YADAV – CANDIDATE & SIKANDAR’S NEPHEW
“My name is Anurag Yadav, age 22 years… I am giving my statement without fear or pressure, without greed or temptation before the inspector at Shastri Nagar Police Station.
I was preparing for the NEET exam at the Allen Coaching Centre in Kota. My uncle (foofa or paternal aunt’s husband), Sikandar P Yadavendu, works as a junior engineer in the Danapur Municipal Council. He told me there is a NEET exam on May 5, 2024. He asked me to return from Kota and that exam setting has been done.
I returned from Kota and my uncle left me with Amit Anand and Nitish Kumar on the night of May 4, 2024. I was given the question paper and answer sheet of the NEET exam and was made to read and memorise it that night.
My centre was DY Patil School and when I went to the school to write the exam, I found the same questions in the exam paper that I had memorised correctly. After the exam, the police came and caught me. I confessed to my crime.
This is my statement. I read and understood my statement and after finding it correct, I signed it.”
NITISH KUMAR – MIDDLEMAN
“My name is Nitish Kumar, age 32 years… I am giving my statement without fear or pressure, without greed or temptation before the inspector at Shastri Nagar Police Station.
My friend Sikandar P Yadavendu… works as a junior engineer in Danapur Municipal Council. I met him in the office of Danapur Municipal Council with Amit Anand. I had gone there for some personal work. During our conversations, I told him that I can leak the question paper of any competitive exam and help a child pass.
During the conversations, Sikandar Yadavendu told me that he knows 4-5 boys who are preparing for NEET and asked me to help them pass the exam. In return, Amit Anand and I told him that it will cost Rs 30-32 lakh. Sikandar Yadavendu agreed. He said he will introduce us to four boys.
Meanwhile, the NEET exam was scheduled and Sikandar Yadavendu asked us when he should call the four boys. Amit called them on the night of May 4, 2024 where the question paper of the NEET exam was leaked and all the candidates were made to read and memorise it along with the answers.
When Sikandar Yadavendu was caught by the police, we were also caught based on the information given by Sikandar Yadavendu. Burnt remains of the question paper and answers were seized by the police from the place where the question paper and answer material were leaked.
I was jailed in 2024 by the Economic Offences Unit, Bihar on charges of leaking the question paper and malpractice in BPSC exam. I accepted my crime.
This is my statement. I have read and understood my statement and signed it after finding it to be correct.”
AMIT ANAND – MIDDLEMAN
My name is Amit Anand, age 29 years… I am giving my statement without fear or pressure, without greed or temptation before the inspector at Shastri Nagar Police Station.
My friend Sikandar P Yadavendu… works as a junior engineer in Danapur Nagar Parishad. I met him in the office of the Nagar Parishad along with Nitish Kumar. I had gone there for some personal work. During our conversations, I told him that I can leak the question paper of any competitive exam and help students pass.
During the conversation, Sikandar Yadavendu told me that he knows 4-5 boys who are preparing for NEET exam and asked me to help them pass the exam. In return, Nitish Kumar and I told him that it will cost Rs 30-32 lakh. Sikandar Yadavendu agreed. He told me that he will introduce the four boys to us.
Meanwhile, the NEET exam was scheduled and Sikandar Yadavendu asked me when to call the four boys. I told him to call them on the night of May 4, 2025, where the NEET exam question paper was leaked and all the children were made to read and memorise it along with the answers. When Sikandar Yadavendu was caught by the police, we were also caught as per the information given by Sikandar Yadavendu. Admit cards of various exams and burnt remains of NEET exam questions and answers were seized by the police from our rented flat. I have done such things earlier also. I have accepted my crime.
This is my statement. I have read and understood my statement and signed it after finding it to be correct.”
NEET CASE SO FAR AND WHAT’S NEXT
The Supreme Court on Thursday sought responses from the Centre, the National Testing Agency (NTA) and others on petitions, including those seeking the scrapping of NEET-UG 2024 exam and a court-monitored probe into the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance test.
The apex court also stayed further proceedings on some pleas on the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate)-2024 examination pending before different high courts in the country.
A vacation bench of Justices Vikram Nath and SVN Bhatti said the pleas would be heard on July 8 along with other pending matters concerning the NEET-UG 2024.
The examination was held on May 5 across 4,750 centres and around 24 lakh candidates took it. The results were expected to be declared on June 14 but were announced on June 4, apparently because the evaluation of the answer sheets got completed earlier.
There have been allegations of question paper leaks in states like Bihar and other irregularities in the prestigious exam. The allegations have led to protests in several cities and filing of petitions in several high courts as also the Supreme Court. Scores of students protested in Delhi on June 10 seeking a probe into alleged irregularities.