NEET malpractices case: CBI gets custody of four accused

Godhra: A court on Saturday remanded four accused arrested in connection with alleged malpractices at NEET-UG held at a school near Godhra in Gujarat in CBI custody till July 2. Gujarat police had arrested five people last month in the case. Of them, the Central Bureau of Investigation sought the custody of school teacher Tushar Bhatt, principal of Jay Jalaram School Purushottam Sharma, and middlemen Vibhor Anand and Arif Vohra.

The agency did not seek the remand of education consultant Parsuram Roy, a fifth accused. All the five accused are currently behind bars in Godhra sub-jail. Principal District Judge of Panchmahal, C K Chauhan, on Saturday granted the CBI's request for their remand, said government lawyer Rakesh Thakor. CBI lawyer Dhruv Malik told the court that though the police had conducted probe in the case, the agency needed their custody for fresh investigation.

A preliminary probe by the CBI revealed that the accused had asked the candidates who were willing to use illegal means to score well in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for medical courses to opt for Jay Jalaram School in Godhra as the exam centre, said Malik. "Last year, when NEET was held at the same school, the accused realised that the answer sheets were kept in the same school overnight before being dispatched. This gave them an idea. They then asked their students to choose this centre to execute their plans," said Malik.

As per Gujarat Police, the accused asked the candidates not to attempt a question if they did not know the answer. The accused later filled in the correct answers on the answer sheet. Earlier in the day, the CBI raided seven places in Gujarat in connection with NEET malpractices. A CBI team had last week recorded the statements of six candidates who had allegedly paid one of the accused. A case was registered by Godhra Police on May 8 against three persons for allegedly trying to help 27 candidates clear the NEET-UG by charging Rs 10 lakh each.