TV
In a significant crackdown on corruption in medical admissions, the Commissionerate Police on Saturday busted an interstate racket involved in selling MBBS seats for lakhs of rupees ahead of the crucial NEET exam scheduled to be held on Sunday.
At a press briefing, Commissioner of Police S. Dev Datta Singh revealed that four people—two from Odisha, and one each from Bihar and Jharkhand—have been arrested for their role in the scam.
The Modus Operandi: Selling Dreams for Lakhs
The accused were allegedly accepting huge sums of money from aspirants. Police have recovered some cheques worth Rs 90 lakh, which indicates that they were taken from aspirants to secure admissions into reputed medical colleges.
According to Commissioner Singh, the gang had already negotiated deals for upcoming medical admissions, promising parents guaranteed entry into medical colleges in exchange for hefty bribes. In some cases, they even planned to send impersonators to appear in entrance exams on behalf of the real candidates.
"Whether they succeeded in executing these fraudulent admissions or not is still under investigation," said CP Singh. "However, it is clear that they had laid the groundwork and were prepared to carry out large-scale manipulation."
The Twin City Police Commissioner further said that the four inter-state accused, who were possibly involved in impersonation to secure medical seats in lieu of money, were nabbed following a raid by the Special Crime Unit.
The said modus operandi involves local scouts who procure aspirants' details, including Aadhaar cards, facilitating their registration. Once the admit cards are obtained, they are transferred to operatives in Bihar. It is suspected that proxy candidates take the NEET exam by manipulating the admit card details. The syndicate allegedly charges between Rs 20 to Rs 30 lakh per candidate, collected in instalments, with local scouts receiving around Rs 4 to Rs 5 lakh for their involvement. It assures to fix the examination centre, in which impersonation or other unfair practices are feasible.
“As the NEET examination is scheduled to be held tomorrow, the Commissionerate Police has busted an interstate racket. This will further ensure that there is no intrusion in the conduct of the examination which already has a robust mechanism. We have got cheques worth Rs 90 lakh and another blank cheque, suggesting a possible deal of Rs 1 crore from aspirants. As the examination is yet to be conducted, the racket has been busted. The gang members have revealed that they used to impersonate and used to plant fake examinees instead of the actual aspirants,” the Police Commissioner said.
Use of Impersonation and Links to NRIs
Police sources confirmed that the gang was using a mix of high-tech coordination and forged documents to operate the racket. It was also revealed that they were attempting to trap some Non-Resident Indian (NRI) families in this fraudulent scheme.
More shockingly, investigators believe that parents themselves were actively involved in some cases, cooperating with the gang to secure seats for their children at any cost.
“If any parent is found supporting or facilitating such illegal practices, they too will be treated as co-conspirators and charged accordingly,” warned Commissioner Singh.
Prior Surveillance and Swift Action
The breakthrough came after the police had been monitoring the gang’s activities for some time, based on intelligence inputs. Acting on credible information, they conducted simultaneous raids and managed to apprehend the suspects before the scam could impact the 2025 medical admissions.
Ongoing Investigation and Wider Network Suspected
Authorities believe the arrested individuals are part of a larger interstate network, and further arrests may follow. Police are currently interrogating the suspects and analyzing digital and financial evidence to trace the full extent of the racket.
Final Word
The Commissioner urged students and parents to refrain from engaging in illegal shortcuts to gain college admissions. He emphasized that such actions not only undermine the integrity of the education system but also carry serious legal consequences. The Odisha Police has assured strict and swift legal action against all those involved, stating that the future of aspiring medical professionals cannot be compromised by corrupt practices.
