Special Correspondent
Mumbai : In a shocking revelation that has sent ripples through India’s medical entrance exam ecosystem, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two individuals—Sandeep Shah and Salim Patel—from Mumbai and Sangli for allegedly cheating NEET aspirants and their families by promising inflated marks in exchange for exorbitant sums of money.
According to CBI officials, the accused duo was part of a larger racket that targeted vulnerable students and their parents, demanding up to ₹90 lakh per candidate with the promise of enhancing NEET scores through “connections” within the National Testing Agency (NTA). The accused claimed they had insider links that could manipulate exam results and even went so far as to promise that students and their parents would be notified about the increased scores six hours before official result declaration.
Sandeep Shah, a resident of Solapur, was allegedly the mastermind behind luring parents into the trap. CBI investigations revealed that Shah regularly arranged meetings in Mumbai hotels, where he pitched his fraudulent services to desperate parents looking for NEET success for their children. Shah was arrested in Mumbai on June 9.
Salim Patel, who ran an admission consultancy in Navi Mumbai, served as a key conduit, referring potential clients to Shah. He was arrested from Sangli shortly after Shah’s arrest. Both are now in CBI custody until June 16, as investigations continue.
One more suspect reportedly based in Puneis under surveillance, with CBI expanding its probe to track down the rest of the network.
This incident comes at a time when NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) has been under intense scrutiny for rising malpractices and paper leak controversies. The scam not only exposes the vulnerabilities in the current examination system but also highlights the lengths to which some parties are willing to go in exploiting aspirants’ anxieties.
