Doctor Among Two Held In Bihar's Samastipur For Running NEET Proxy Racket, Forging Admit Cards
Police seized mobile evidence, cash, and a vehicle. The accused confessed to charging 2-5 lakhs per candidate per exam and forging documents.
Two people, including a doctor assigned to the Begusarai district jail, Bihar, were apprehended in the Samastipur district for allegedly creating fake NEET admit cards and arranging proxy candidates to take the medical entrance exam on behalf of others.
According to Samastipur Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sanjay Kumar Pandey, authorities received information on Sunday during the NEET 2025 exam about a group traveling through the district in a car, attempting to interfere with the examination process.
In response, police promptly formulated a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and tracked down a vehicle with a Darbhanga registration number that was seen near several NEET exam centers throughout the day. “The vehicle was intercepted near Mohanpur Bridge. Upon questioning, the occupants identified themselves as Rambabu Mallik, a resident of Darbhanga, and Dr Ranjit Kumar, a native of Samastipur posted at Begusarai jail,” ASP Pandey said, Indian Express reported.
During questioning, both suspects reportedly admitted to running a proxy racket for NEET 2025, and police are verifying their claims with technical evidence.
ASP Pandey stated that one of the accused, Mallik, had in-depth knowledge of the medical college admission process through his work assisting with admissions at a government college in Darbhanga, which facilitated their illegal activities. The police said their method involved substituting actual candidates with academically qualified individuals hired to take the exam in their place.
“They admitted to charging hefty sums from the candidates, paying the proxy scholars between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh per exam,” the officer stated, and added that the accused began designing forged admit cards soon after the application process for NEET UG started.
“They confessed to forging photographs, identity cards, signatures and Aadhaar cards, swapping the details of genuine candidates with those of proxy candidates,” the ASP also said.
Evidence Surfaces From Mobile Phones
During the probe, police searched their mobile phones, disclosing incriminating evidence. “We found extensive communication on WhatsApp, where admit cards, Aadhaar cards, signatures, and photographs were being exchanged in groups and with potential accomplices,” the officer added. He stated that a thorough investigation is ongoing to uncover the full scale of the network.
The ASP added that, based on information revealed during the suspects' interrogation and digital evidence retrieved from their phones, authorities are now looking into both the genuine and proxy candidates involved. Only after questioning them will it be clear how many proxy candidates, if any, actually appeared for the exam.
Additionally, police confiscated the vehicle used in the operation, Rs 50,000 in cash, and three mobile phones from the suspects.
The accused have been booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including those related to cheating, impersonation, forgery of valuable documents, use of forged electronic records, and criminal conspiracy.
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