CBI Nabs Two NEET-2025 Scam As Exam Results Announced
Mumbai, 14 June 2025 – The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two individuals from Maharashtra for allegedly defrauding NEET-2025 aspirants by promising to manipulate their exam scores for exorbitant fees. The arrests, made on 9 and 10 June, come as the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the NEET UG 2025 results today of which the score cards are available on neet.nta.ac.in.
The accused, residents of Solapur and Navi Mumbai, were apprehended for deceiving candidates and their parents by falsely claiming connections with fictitious NTA officials. They allegedly demanded Rs. 90 lakh per candidate, later negotiating down to Rs. 87.5 lakh, to inflate scores in the highly competitive National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate medical courses. The CBI revealed that the duo assured victims they could provide details of enhanced marks six hours before the official result declaration, a claim that proved baseless.
The investigation uncovered a sophisticated operation. The primary accused was caught soliciting payments at the ITC Grand Central Hotel in Parel, Mumbai. His co-accused, who runs an admission consultancy in Navi Mumbai, collaborated with another individual operating a similar firm in Pune. Forensic analysis of their mobile phones exposed incriminating evidence, including chats detailing prospective candidates, roll numbers, admit cards, OMR sheets, and financial transactions conducted via Hawala networks, a clandestine method of transferring money.
The CBI registered the case on 9 June 2025, following complaints of fraud. The accused were produced before the Special CBI Court in Mumbai, which granted police custody until 13 June, later extended to 16 June. Authorities have confirmed no involvement of government officials or NTA personnel, debunking the accused’s claims of influence within the NTA.
This scam has cast a shadow over the NEET-2025 examination process, which saw over 20 lakh candidates compete on 4 May 2025 for admission to MBBS, BDS, and other medical courses.
The NTA, tasked with conducting the exam across 5,400 centres in 566 cities, including 14 international locations, has faced scrutiny following past irregularities. However, stringent security measures, including mock drills and police oversight, were implemented this year to ensure a fair process.
Today’s result announcement, available on neet.nta.nic.in, includes scorecards, merit lists, and cutoff marks, with the qualifying cutoff reportedly lower than last year due to changes in exam difficulty. Candidates securing the minimum cutoff are eligible for counselling, managed by the Medical Counselling Committee for 15% All India Quota seats and state authorities for 85% state quota seats. The NTA also released the final answer key, enabling students to verify their performance.
