NEET scam: 18 aspirants rescued in Delhi-NCR, doctor among four held

New Delhi: The Crime branch has busted a syndicate that allegedly duped NEET aspirants and took Rs 20-30 lakh each from their guardians by promising guaranteed MBBS admissions. A doctor, the alleged kingpin, is among the four persons arrested in the case.

The gang had charged the amount as donations for admission under management and other quotas, said police. According to DCP (crime) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, the raids also resulted in the rescue of 18 students, including minors, who were trapped by the gang and lodged in different hotels in Delhi-NCR.

Police started investigating the scam after receiving a lead from Surat police commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut about a mobile number linked to suspicious NEET brokering activities in Delhi.

The exam was scheduled on May 3. “Given the proximity to the exam date, a technical surveillance operation was launched and the number was traced to Mahipalpur Extension, following which a team began an extensive search operation," Yadav said.

Nearly 100 hotels in southwest Delhi’s Mahipalpur were checked before the trail led police to a hotel where four suspects from Gujarat were staying, including Vinod Bhai Bhikha Bhai Patel, identified as a key recruiter.

Complainants present at the spot told police that the accused had already collected large sums, original classes X and XII certificates, and signed blank cheques as "collateral" in exchange for promised medical seats. Investigators learnt that several students had been taken away from their guardians to an undisclosed location on the pretext of being given "important" or leaked exam questions.

Police used technical inputs to lay a trap near a hospital in Ghaziabad, where three students were rescued and Santosh Kumar Jaiswal was arrested. Further raids at a flat in Ghaziabad led to the rescue of 15 more students, some minors, who were to appear for NEET the next day. After counselling, all were allowed to sit for the examination.

The other two accused, Sant Pratap Singh and Dr Akhlaq Alam, were apprehended from the flat. Police found that Jaiswal, a 50-year-old graduate from Bihar who ran a pathology lab, was involved in designing the fraud.

Dr Alam (25), who completed his MBBS from Kyrgyzstan and is preparing for the screening test to practise in India, handled the academic facade by compiling a 149-page set of "special questions" drawn from previous years’ papers and coaching material to make them appear authentic.

Singh, a 59-year-old BTech graduate and property dealer with holdings in Ghaziabad and Pune, arranged logistics, including flats where students were housed and deals were finalised. Patel, a 52-year-old broker from Surat, sourced aspirants and their families, convincing them to pay.

Police have seized the 149-page document, three signed blank cheques and other evidence. A case has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for cheating and conspiracy. The arrested accused are in custody and police are trying to identify other middlemen.
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