Major Crackdown on NEET Admission Scam: Four Arrested in Multi-State Operation

Significant Arrests Made Ahead of NEET-UG 2025

Bhubaneswar: In a significant development just before the NEET-UG 2025 examination, the Special Crime Unit (SCU) of the Commissionerate Police apprehended four individuals linked to an interstate scam. These suspects were reportedly deceiving aspiring medical students by promising them admission into prestigious private colleges through the use of impersonators during the examination.

During a press conference, Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh revealed that the operation of this racket extended across three states: Jharkhand, Odisha, and Bihar.

Authorities seized two vehicles, documents related to the acquisition of two plots in Arugul, a forged NRI certificate, and three bank cheques amounting to ₹90 lakh from the arrested individuals.

The suspects have been identified as Priyadarshi Kumar, Arvind Kumar, Sunil Samantray, and Rudra Narayan Behera. Priyadarshi and Arvind hail from Jharkhand and Bihar, respectively, while Sunil and Rudra are from Odisha. Singh noted that this racket had been operational for a considerable period.

Explaining the scam's methodology, Singh stated, “The criminals, aided by local scouts, would gather the personal information of NEET candidates.

After obtaining the admit cards using this information, they would pass these cards to impersonators who would take the exam under false identities.” The commissioner mentioned that the syndicate charged candidates between ₹20-30 lakh for their services.

“Local scouts received a commission of ₹4-5 lakh,” he added. The operation was dismantled following a tip-off from a local informant in Jharkhand, which led to the arrests of Priyadarshi and Arvind.

“Information from the Jharkhand Police was crucial in capturing Sunil and Rudra at their hideouts in the city,” Singh concluded.