New Delhi: After evidence of manipulation in the JEE Main this year emerged, the Central Bureau of Investigation has now booked a Maharashtra-based coaching centre and its chief along with others, for manipulating and helping students cheat on the NEET exam held on September 12 in exchange for sums as high as Rs 50 lakh per student.
According to officials, the agency has conducted raids in the case and made some arrests. As per the FIR registered by the federal probe agency, one Parimal Kotpalliwar, had allegedly solicited the parents of NEET aspirants, "guaranteeing" them that their children will get into top government medical colleges.
The CBI FIR states that Kotpalliwar, who runs RK Education Career Guidance in Nagpur, was allegedly contacting the parents of the aspirants, promising that he had a "foolproof" way to manipulate the exam, which is administered by the National Testing Agency.
Officials aware of the case have said that the parents would first be asked to deposit Post Dated Cheques for the agreed-upon amount and then the ones running the racket would seek the original marksheets (10th and 12th) of the aspirant as security, which they would promise to return after realising the full amount, which could go up to Rs 50 lakh.
The agency's FIR in the case has explicitly identified five students, who had allegedly used a proxy through this racket on the exam day on September 12, with officials alleging that Kotpalliwar had arranged for the proxies through one of his contacts - one Diwakar Singh, also an accused in the case.
The CBI has also alleged that Kotpalliwar and his associates had also secured the examination ID and passwords from the aspirants, to allegedly manipulate the system to get their exam centre of choice.
"They also use the process of mixing/morphing photographs to facilitate the use of proxy candidates for appearing in the examination. Copies of e-Aadhar cards of candidates are being collected for the purpose of making forged ID cards. He also assures candidates of providing answer keys and manipulating OMR sheets," the CBI FIR states, explaining the racket.