Two Jharkhand students linked with Re-NEET impersonation gang

Pioneer News Service
Ranchi

The investigation into irregularities during the NEET-UG re-examination in Bihar’s Lakhisarai has uncovered alleged links to Jharkhand, with two female candidates from Palamu and Giridih accused of being part of a major “solver gang”, a network of imposters allegedly appearing in examinations on behalf of candidates.

While one is from Hariharganj in Palamu district, the other belongs to the Birni police station area of Giridih district. Both are accused of attempting to take the examination in place of other students. The candidate from Giridih is pursuing B.Sc. Nursing at BHU, while the candidate from Palamu is a final-year BAMS student at a Government Ayurvedic College in Odisha.

Officials said that the Palamu student was impersonating another candidate during the NEET examination. She was identified through biometric verification and detained at the examination centre.

On Monday, at least 31 people were arrested, including nine individuals allegedly appearing in the examination on behalf of other candidates, after suspected cases of impersonation and cheating were detected at multiple examination centres in Bihar’s Lakhisarai district.

The arrested two candidates are among the nine alleged dummy candidates arrested by the police for appearing in the examination on behalf of candidates who paid large sums of money to pass. For an investigative breakdown of how these extensive solver and paper leak networks operate behind the scenes.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has refuted claims of a video circulating on social media that the NEET (UG) 2026 Re-Examination question paper was leaked on Telegram before the examination. In a social media post, NTA said that the examination was conducted successfully under comprehensive security and surveillance. It further said that manufacturing and deliberately circulating such misinformation to defraud or alarm students is a serious offence.

The NEET-UG re-examination was held in Jharkhand amid heightened security arrangements, with more than 30,000 students appearing for the test. A total of 67 examination centres have been set up across the state, officials said.

According to police, checking drives were conducted in hotels and lodges as a precautionary measure to ensure a free and fair examination. Elaborate security arrangements were made at each centre, and officials were ordered to strictly follow all guidelines and protocols.