• Bihar Police arrested four people in Muzaffarpur for allegedly selling fake NEET UG 2026 and other competitive exam question papers through social media.
• Investigators said the accused collected money through online transfers after falsely promising access to genuine examination papers.
• The arrests come ahead of the NEET UG 2026 re-examination on June 21, following the cancellation of the May 3 test amid an ongoing CBI investigation into alleged exam irregularities.
Four people have been arrested in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district for allegedly selling fake question papers for competitive examinations, including NEET UG 2026, through social media platforms. Police said the accused targeted students and parents by falsely claiming they could provide examination papers in advance.
According to Muzaffarpur Senior Superintendent of Police Kantesh Kumar Mishra, the arrests were made on Saturday as part of an ongoing investigation linked to a similar case registered earlier this month. Police also seized three mobile phones during the operation.
The accused have been identified as Harsh, Aman Kumar, Kanhaiya Kumar, and Harsh Kanodiya. SSP Mishra told PTI that investigators believe the group used social media to solicit payments from aspirants and their families in exchange for purported question papers. Further investigation is underway.
SSP Kantesh Kumar Mishra said the arrests were made based on information obtained from Manish Jha, who was arrested on June 2 from the Balu Ghat area under Sikandarpur police station limits in connection with the same case.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly told investigators that they used social media platforms to approach NEET UG aspirants and their parents by claiming they could provide test papers for competitive examinations.
According to SSP Mishra, money was collected through online bank transfers and subsequently passed on to Manish Jha. Police said further investigation into the case is underway.
The arrests come amid the ongoing NEET UG 2026 controversy. The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted the examination on May 3 in pen-and-paper mode, with more than 22.7 lakh candidates appearing across 551 cities in India and 14 centres abroad.
On May 12, the NTA cancelled the examination and announced a re-examination on June 21 after the Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group (SOG) reportedly identified a "guess paper" containing more than 100 questions similar to those asked in the test. According to reports cited by authorities, nearly 120 questions from the Biology and Chemistry sections were found to overlap with the material under scrutiny.
The central government later referred the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a detailed inquiry. The agency subsequently registered an FIR and has arrested 13 people in connection with the case so far.
Ahead of the NEET UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21, Union Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan said on Friday that the "full might and weight of the law" would fall on anyone attempting to distort, disrupt, or tamper with the integrity of the examination.
NDTV reported that the Centre, state governments, and district administrations are coordinating preparations to ensure the re-examination is conducted in a secure and transparent manner.
The arrests come less than a week before the NEET UG 2026 re-examination, as authorities intensify efforts to prevent fraud and maintain the integrity of one of India's largest medical entrance examinations.
(Rh/TP/MSM)