PATNA: Bihar police uncovered a cache of burned banknotes amounting to Rs 2.75 lakh in Rs 100 and Rs 500 denominations, along with NEET and NEET-PG admit cards, from a hostel room at Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) late Wednesday. Also found during the search were an MBBS OMR sheet from Aryabhatta Knowledge University and a liquor bottle.
The discovery of admit cards raises concerns about the NEET scam in Bihar and Jharkhand. Several people, including students and coaching centre operators, have been taken into custody for their alleged links to the scam, which involved impersonation, manipulation of OMR sheets, and other malpractices to secure admissions in medical colleges.
PMCH principal Dr Vidyapati Choudhary filed an FIR Thursday. According to police, the room located on the ground floor of Chanakya Hostel was occupied by Dr Ajay Singh from Samastipur, who completed his post-graduation last year. Singh is currently “absconding. The discovery came after a fire broke out around 10pm Wednesday in a room occupied by Singh. It appears the documents and notes were burned during the fire and subsequently dumped in the ground-floor room, police said.
Earlier that evening, another case involving Singh occurred. “Around 5.30pm, we received information that a doctor was assaulted by junior students and locked in a room. A police team found Singh in room 625 on the sixth floor. He reported being beaten by juniors but declined to press charges,” the SHO said. The hostel warden said, “Singh had occupied two to three rooms. While we can issue notices, it is the administration’s responsibility to enforce evictions.”