CBI arrests two for charging Rs 87.5 lakh per student to manipulate NEET UG 2025 scores

New Delhi: Exposing an MBBS admission racket, the CBI arrested two persons, including an admission consultant, for allegedly deceiving aspiring doctors by falsely promising to manipulate their NEET UG 2025 scores in exchange for Rs 87.5 lakh per candidate, an official said.

Sandeep Shah, a resident of Solapur, Maharashtra, and Salim Patel, a resident of Navi Mumbai, were arrested after they collected money from parents of a few candidates at Hotel ITC Grand Central, Parel, Mumbai, the official said.

In some cases, the accused collected money through hawala, he said.

A case was registered against the two on June 9 for allegedly defrauding NEET candidates and their parents by falsely claiming to have connections with fictitious officials of the National Testing Agency (NTA).

However, the investigation has not found any involvement of government officials or NTA personnel with the accused persons in the case, the CBI said.

The probe agency said the two accused assured victims that they could manipulate the marks of low-scoring candidates in NEET UG 2025 in return for hefty payments.

During the investigation, it was revealed that one of the accused used to meet parents in a hotel and initially demanded Rs 90 lakh per candidate before striking a deal at Rs 87.5 lakh per candidate.

The key negotiator falsely claimed that he could influence NTA officials and manipulate NEET UG 2025 scores. Additionally, he assured candidates that they would receive details of their purportedly increased marks six hours before the official declaration of results.

The investigation revealed that the main money negotiator was in contact with the co-accused, who operates an admission consultancy firm in Navi Mumbai, and another individual, who runs a similar consultancy in Pune.

A forensic examination of the mobile phones of the arrested individuals uncovered incriminating chats containing details of prospective candidates, their roll numbers, admit cards, OMR sheets, and evidence of financial transactions through hawala networks.

During the investigation, the main negotiator was arrested in Mumbai on June 9, whereas the co-accused was arrested in Sangli District, Maharashtra, on June 10, said the CBI.

Both the accused were produced before the Special CBI Court, Mumbai, which initially sent them to CBI remand till June 13 and later extended it till June 16.

–IANS