Mumbai, June 22: A major scandal has emerged surrounding the NEET exam, with several medical students arrested in Bihar for allegedly participating in a cheating racket. The arrests were made during the re-examination held on June 21, where a student was caught attempting to smuggle a mobile phone into the exam hall concealed in her undergarments. Reports indicate that she took a photo of the question paper just 15 minutes before the exam concluded.
Despite being alerted twice by metal detectors, the student misled authorities by claiming that the alarms were triggered by the hooks of her undergarments. This was her third attempt at the NEET exam. If found guilty under the Public Examination Act 2024, she could face up to five years in prison and a fine of 10 lakh.
In a remarkable display of determination, another candidate, Srishti Dubey from Kolkata, managed to take the exam despite suffering severe injuries from a road accident that left her with nine broken ribs. Special arrangements were made for her by the Ministry of Education, allowing her to sit for the exam in a separate room with medical assistance.
The NEET UG 2026 re-exam saw participation from approximately 22 lakh candidates across more than 95,000 exam centers, all monitored by CCTV cameras to ensure security.
In a related incident, police arrested 24 individuals, including medical students from PMCH Gaya, AIIMS Raebareli, and BHU, who were allegedly involved in a scheme to impersonate candidates for a fee ranging from 30 to 40 lakh. The investigation began with a suspicious individual at the exam center, leading to the discovery of a larger network involved in the scam.
Despite advisories from the National Medical Commission urging medical colleges to keep their students on campus during the exam period, some students managed to leave, resulting in further scrutiny.
The NEET UG 2026 exam was initially scheduled for May 3 but was canceled due to a paper leak, prompting the recent re-examination.