The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested the alleged mastermind of the Bihar NEET-UG case, Rakesh Ranjan alias Rocky, in Patna on Thursday. Following his arrest, the CBI conducted searches at multiple locations in Patna and Kolkata, uncovering numerous incriminating documents, officials reported.

A local court has granted the CBI a 10-day custody of Rocky for further interrogation. Sources revealed that Rocky, who previously ran a hotel in Ranchi, Jharkhand, was responsible for leaking the NEET-UG question paper. He then passed the leaked paper to an individual named Chintu, who distributed and printed the papers with the answers for students.

Rocky is related to another accused in the NEET paper leak case, Sanjeev Mukhia, and played a key role in orchestrating the cheating scheme. He also arranged for MBBS students from Patna and Ranchi to act as solvers for the exam after the paper was leaked.

Rocky’s arrest follows the earlier apprehension of two other individuals in Patna, including a NEET-UG aspirant named Sunny from Nalanda and Ranjit Kumar, a candidate’s father from Gaya. In total, the CBI has arrested nine individuals in connection with the Bihar NEET-UG paper leak case.

The CBI took over the investigation after widespread protests by students over alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam. So far, the CBI has registered six FIRs related to the case, involving not only paper leaks in Bihar but also cases of impersonation and cheating in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra.

The investigation is ongoing, with several arrests already made in Bihar, Gujarat, and Uttarakhand. The CBI continues to probe the extent of the conspiracy and bring those involved to justice.