Uttar Pradesh STF busted gang involved in rigging NEET exam, 3 arrested

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 5 (ANI): The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has cracked down on a gang involved in rigging the NEET UG exam and other exams, arresting three individuals in Noida. The gang allegedly demanded money from candidates' relatives in exchange for passing them in the exam.
During an intelligence gathering on May 3, the STF Noida team received information that some people are demanding money from the relatives of the candidates appearing in the NEET UG exam to be held on May 4 to get them to pass the exam. The office of the people of this gang is located in Sector-3, Noida, under the Police Station Phase-1 area.
After developing this information, the STF Noida team immediately reached the spot and arrested three people. According to the officials, the arrested people have been identified as Vikram Kumar Sah, Dharmpal Singh, and Aniket Kumar.
Over 20.8 lakh candidates appeared for the NEET UG 2025 examination held across 548 cities in India and 14 international centres, said sources at the Ministry of Education on Sunday.
The sources added that the nationwide test was conducted smoothly without any significant issues or reports of malpractice."20.8 lakh candidates appeared in the exam. There is no doubt -- it happened smoothly," the source said, adding that only minor issues like late arrivals and some confusion over dress codes were reported. "No violations or use of unfair means have been reported so far," the source confirmed.
The National Testing Agency (NTA), responsible for organising the medical entrance exam, adopted a coordinated "whole-of-government" approach to ensure secure and fair conduct.
A Centralised Control Room was established under the Ministry of Education, bringing together officials from the Ministries of Health and Family Welfare, Home Affairs, Defence, and Electronics & IT (MeitY). This hub monitored real-time developments in coordination with district administrations and police forces nationwide.
To strengthen oversight, nodal Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) were assigned to work with local authorities for on-ground monitoring. Mock drills were conducted at all 5,453 centres on May 3 to test biometric verification systems, mobile signal jammers, frisking personnel readiness, and other logistics. (ANI)