NEET Re-Exam Cheating Racket: 30 People, Including Students, Arrested in Bihar

Bihar police arrested 30 people, including medical students and biometric staff, for a NEET cheating racket.

The racket involved impersonators giving the NEET re-exam, being the "solvers"

(Image: The Quint/@Aroop Mishra)

On 21 June 2026, Bihar police arrested 30 individuals, including medical students, impersonators, and biometric verification staff, for their alleged involvement in a cheating racket during the NEET-UG re-examination. The arrests followed raids at multiple exam centres in Lakhisarai, where the accused were reportedly facilitating impersonation and bypassing security protocols. The NEET-UG re-exam was conducted after the original test was cancelled due to a question paper leak.

According to Hindustan Times, police detained nine impersonators, 18 biometric staff, and several medical students. The investigation revealed that biometric company employees allegedly assisted impersonators in passing verification checks, enabling them to appear for the exam on behalf of registered candidates.

As reported by Deccan Herald, the network included students from medical and nursing colleges acting as "solvers." Police identified Arpit Raj, a student at Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital, Gaya, as a key coordinator. He had previously been questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the 2024 NEET paper leak case.

As highlighted by Siasat, 18 biometric verification staff were arrested for allegedly colluding with middlemen and dummy candidates. Police also apprehended a middleman from Gaya Medical College, further expanding the investigation into the network's operations.

Police stated that the "solver gang" charged candidates between ₹10 lakh and ₹12 lakh for impersonation, with an advance payment of ₹1–2 lakh. Further details indicated that the biometric staff and impersonators breached verification systems at three schools in Lakhisarai, using forged identities and collusion to gain entry.

"We do all levels of frisking and checking and CCTV surveillance and biometric authentication to check these malpractices. The purpose of all the security layers that we have is to ensure that nobody is able to do any malpractice."

NTA Director General Abhishek Singh, as quoted in official statements.

Security measures during the re-exam included multiple rounds of document verification, biometric authentication, frisking, CCTV surveillance, and police presence. Over 20 lakh candidates appeared for the retest across 5,440 centres in India and 14 centres abroad, with more than seven lakh personnel mobilised for security and logistics.

In addition to the Bihar arrests, incidents elsewhere included a candidate in Hyderabad caught hiding a mobile phone in a washroom flush tank to search for answers during the exam. The student was detained and a case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.

Official statements from the National Testing Agency emphasised that the re-exam was conducted under strict security, with no evidence of a paper leak or systemic failure. Authorities stated that all attempts at malpractice were detected and dealt with according to law.

"Anybody who tries to spread misinformation, share fake videos, share fake posts in order to scam someone or in order to increase the mental stress of people, the strong arm of the law will come very strongly on it," said NTA Director General Abhishek Singh.

Note: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.