Bihar: EOU conducts raid at NEET UG question paper leak mastermind's residence

Patna: Bihar’s Economic Offence Unit (EOU) on Tuesday conducted a raid at the house of Sanjeev Mukhiya in Nalanda, the alleged mastermind behind the NEET UG question paper leak which occurred on May 5.

The raid was part of an ongoing investigation into the case, and Mukhiya has been absconding since the paper leak scandal came to light.

During the raid, a nine-member team from the EOU, led by DSP Sunil Kumar, seized multiple documents and pieces of evidence from Mukhiya's residence.

“The raid began at 10 a.m. and lasted until 4 p.m. We have questioned Mukhiya's family members and conducted a detailed search of the property,” Kumar said.

He added that the collecting materials will be thoroughly examined by EOU.

For security purposes, a substantial police presence, including officers from Nagarnausa police station, was deployed in the village during the operation.

Despite these efforts, Sanjeev Mukhiya remains at large, and authorities continue to search for him in connection with the NEET exam leak.

The NEET question paper leak case, initially uncovered by Patna police, was later transferred to the Economic Offence Unit (EOU) and subsequently to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). However, the prime accused, Sanjeev Mukhiya, remains at large.

The investigation has revealed that Mukhiya and his accomplices charged ₹40 lakh from students, who were allegedly given the answers to the leaked NEET paper and made to memorise them in a private school in Patna.

Sanjeev Mukhiya, a technical assistant at Noorsarai Horticulture College in Nalanda, absconded after applying for leave when the investigation began.

Officials have also gathered evidence from the college, where Mukhiya was employed, and piecing together the full extent of his involvement in various paper leak scandals.

Mukhiya is a notorious figure in several other exam-related scams. His name first surfaced in 2016 during a constable recruitment exam paper leak case.

Additionally, he had been jailed in the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) teacher recruitment paper leak case. His son, Shiv Kumar, is also in jail, accused of involvement in the NEET question paper leak.

Mukhiya harboured political ambitions and aspired for his wife to become a minister. To achieve this, he supported her candidacy in the Assembly elections under the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) banner, spending enormous sums of money on her campaign. However, despite his efforts and resources, his wife was unsuccessful in the election.