A key player in Bihar's 2024 BPSC teacher recruitment exam paper leak has been arrested, and investigators say his specialty was prising open sealed question-paper boxes without breaking the seal on top, then repacking them so no one would notice. The accused has been identified as Dr Manish, who is now in police custody.
A doctor by training who got hooked on the paper leak trade
Dr Manish is a 2021 batch MBBS graduate of NMCH Patna. He had a job as a doctor at a government hospital in Kaimur, but he quit that position and moved to Patna to prepare for NEET PG, drawn instead into the paper leak business. Investigators say he is a close friend of Dr Shiv, son of Sanjeev Mukhiya, the alleged mastermind of the NEET paper leak case. That friendship is what pulled him into the BPSC leak network.
30 students taken to a Hazaribagh hotel, Rs 50,000 charged per paper
Police allege that just before the 2024 exam, Dr Manish brought 30 students from Patna to a hotel in Hazaribagh, where they were handed the question papers. Each question paper reportedly cost the students Rs 50,000.
296 arrested so far, 15 key accused still on the run
Bihar Police have so far arrested 296 people in the BPSC teacher recruitment paper leak case, while 15 main accused remain absconding. The investigation found that Dr Manish carried out the leak together with Dr Shiv and Dr Shubham, with the trio operating in an organised fashion, each with a defined role.
How they opened the box without touching the seal
During the TRE-3 recruitment exam, the gang is said to have stopped a pickup vehicle carrying question papers at a highway hotel in Nagarnaisa. Using sophisticated tools, they pried the box open from the bottom in a way that left the seal on top completely untouched. They then photographed the question papers and repacked the box so cleanly that officials at the exam centre never suspected a thing. The leak came to light only much later.
An experienced trio in the paper leak business
Investigators say Dr Shiv, Dr Shubham and Dr Manish are not new to this racket, having operated in the paper leak market for a while. Their particular skill lies in opening sealed question-paper boxes without causing any damage, which sharply lowers the odds of getting caught. Dr Manish originally hails from Nehalpur village in Jehanabad district and, like Dr Shiv, studied at NMCH as part of the 2021 batch.
Mobile location and CCTV footage cracked the case
The case broke open when the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) combed through data of PMCH and NMCH students and Dr Manish's phone number surfaced. Tracking his location placed him both at Dr Shiv's flat and at the Hazaribagh hotel where the papers were handed over. CCTV footage from the Kohinoor Hotel confirmed his presence. He initially tried to mislead investigators during questioning, but broke down and confessed once he was confronted with the evidence. His bank accounts are now being examined, and the process to seize the proceeds of his alleged crime has also begun.
Bihar's earlier links to the NEET paper leak
Bihar's links to paper leaks had surfaced before this case too, when bundles of cash and fake admit cards were recovered from a bag in a separate matter, leading to the arrest of three solvers in Nalanda.
