NEET scam: CBI arrests Jharkhand journalist, Bihar 'link' in Dehradun

HAZARIBAG/DEHRADUN: A journalist from Jharkhand's Hazaribag and another suspect in Dehradun have been arrested by the CBI over the NEET leak even as the agency took remand of other accused in the case in Bihar and Gujarat.

In Jharkhand, journalist Md Jamaludin (35) was taken into custody on Friday for allegedly helping Ehsanul Haque, principal of Hazaribag's Oasis School who, along with vice-principal Imtiaz Alam, are in the CBI net. Haque was district coordinator of NEET organiser NTA. Jamaludin, Haque and Alam were later taken to Patna, where they were remanded in CBI custody on Saturday for five days by a special court after medical examination, said sources.

Principal blamed local SBI branch for paper lead
Sources said Jamaludin, described as journalistcum-advertisement executive with a local Hindi paper, allegedly tried to help Haque and Alam. According to CBI sources, Jamaludin had organised a news conference recently for Haque to clear his stance on the leak. The principal had blamed a local SBI branch, where the papers were stored, and a private courier company. Jamaludin’s family sources said he was friends with Haque for several years.

In Uttarakhand, the suspect arrested was identified as Gangadhar Gunde, aged around 60. A resident of Gurgaon, Gunde was intercepted Saturday on way to Mussoorie by Dehradun police, who assisted the CBI in the action.

“Gunde was, perhaps, in touch with the (NEET leak) accused in Bihar. We cannot divulge more details as the case is being handled by the CBI’s Delhi unit. Our role was only to secure his arrest and hand him over to our Delhi unit,” a CBI officer in Dehradun said.

In Gujarat’s Godhra, four people arrested and jailed in an NEET attempt-to-copy case were remanded in fourday CBI custody by a sessions court on Saturday. Later, the agency took their custody from Godhra jail for questioning. The four are Purshottam Sharma, principal of Jai Jalaram School; Tushar Bhatt, a teacher in the same school, Arif Vahora, a suspended BJP functionary who referred students to Bhatt, and one Vibhor Anand Singh of Bihar who roped in candidates from other states.

Vahora had allegedly paid Rs 7 lakh in cash to Bhatt and the money was recovered from the latter’s car on May 5 when the copying bid was foiled by the district collector on a tip-off.
(With inputs from Patna and Ahmedabad)