In a startling revelation in the NEET paper leak case, prime accused Sikander Prasad Yadvendu in his confessional statement admitted to having arranged question papers for four exam aspirants to "prepare" them a day before the test and demanded Rs 40 lakh from each candidate.

According to sources in the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar police, Yadvendu's confessional statement, recorded under Section 161 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) on May 5, also detailed his contacts with Nitish Kumar and Amit Anand, allegedly known for leaking prestigious exam papers such as NEET.

Yadvendu claimed that he demanded Rs 40 lakh from each aspirant, including his nephew Anurag Yadav, for providing the leaked question paper on May 4, a day before the exam.

Yadvendu, a junior engineer at Bihar's Danapur Town Council, said, "I contacted Nitish and Amit and told them that I have four candidates—Ayush Kumar, Anurag Yadav, Abhishek Kumar, and Shivnandan Kumar." Yadvendu claimed that Nitish and Amit charged Rs 32 lakh per candidate and assured him of providing the question paper in advance.

On May 4, all four candidates were called to a guest house where Nitish and Anand helped them "prepare" using the leaked paper, Yadvendu claimed.

The candidates later confessed that the same questions appeared in the actual exam on May 5.

Yadav was preparing for NEET-UG in Kota, Rajasthan.

In his confessional statement, Yadav said, "My uncle spoke to me when I was in Kota and told me he had access to the question paper. I came to Patna, and my uncle introduced me to two people -- Amit and Nitish -- who provided me with the question paper and answer key. They helped me prepare the questions overnight. They were the same questions in the actual question paper on May 5." EOU, which is investigating the case, has so far arrested 13 people as part of its investigation into the alleged paper leak in NEET-UG 2024. They include Yadvendu, Amit, Nitish, other aspirants, and their parents.

Sources within the probe agency have indicated that investigators are considering the legal option of recording witness statements under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

Statements made under this section, before a magistrate, hold weight as evidence in court, unlike those recorded under section 161 of the CrPC, which are not considered as evidence, sources said.

The NEET-UG 2024, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), saw participation from over 24 lakh candidates across 4,750 centres in 571 cities, with results announced on June 4.

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