SRINAGAR: Four members of an alleged interstate gang were arrested in Bhubaneswar for collecting money from NEET aspirants in exchange for promises of medical college admissions, police said on Saturday.
According to Press Trust of India (PTI), the accused, two of whom are from Odisha were apprehended by the Bhubaneswar Special Crime Unit a day ahead of the NEET-UG 2025 examination scheduled for Sunday.
Commissioner of Police S D Singh told PTI that the gang had planned to use proxy candidates to appear in place of actual aspirants. “They took money from aspirants by promising admission into medical colleges,” Singh said.
Those arrested were identified as Priyadarshi Kumar from Jharkhand, Arvind Kumar from Bihar, and Sunil Samantray and Rudra Narayan Behera from Odisha, police said.
In a statement to PTI, police said the gang’s modus operandi involved local agents who collected personal details of aspirants, including Aadhaar cards. These were used to register candidates for NEET, after which the admit cards were transferred to operatives in Bihar. Proxy candidates were suspected to have taken the exam using the manipulated documents.
The gang was reportedly charging Rs 20 to Rs 30 lakh per candidate, the statement added.
Police said further investigation is under way to track down other members of the racket.
