Patna STF Arrests NEET Paper Leak Mastermind Sanjeev Mukhiya

Patna, Bihar: In a major breakthrough, the Special Task Force (STF) of Patna arrested Sanjeev Mukhiya, the main mastermind behind the NEET 2024 paper leak, late Thursday night. Mukhiya had been on the run since May 5, 2024, the day of the leak. The Bihar Police had placed a reward of ₹3 lakh for information leading to his arrest. Authorities had been tracking him for several months.

So far, police have arrested 36 people in connection with the NEET paper leak, including Mukhiya’s son. The interrogation of those arrested is still ongoing. The STF considers Mukhiya’s arrest a significant success in the investigation.

STF Begins Interrogation of Sanjeev Mukhiya

The Bihar STF has started questioning Sanjeev Mukhiya, expecting important details to come to light. Mukhiya had earlier worked as a technical assistant at Nursarai Udyan Mahavidyalaya in Nalanda. Officials say he planned the entire leak from the beginning. Mukhiya hails from Nagarnausa village in Nalanda district and has a history of involvement in exam fraud cases.

Reward and Previous Arrests

Police had intensified their search after arresting 6 individuals from Deoghar, Jharkhand, on May 11, 2024. One of the accused, Chintu, had shared the leaked NEET paper and answer key via WhatsApp early on the morning of May 5. After that, Mukhiya went into hiding. The Bihar government announced a ₹3 lakh reward on April 7, 2025, and now, after almost a year of efforts, police have finally arrested him.

Sanjeev Mukhiya’s Name Linked to Multiple Exam Leak Cases

Authorities have linked Sanjeev Mukhiya to several exam-related fraud cases over the years:

• In 2010, his name surfaced in a case where students used Bluetooth devices to cheat.
• In 2016, he was linked to the Bihar Police Recruitment Exam paper leak.
• He is also an accused in the Bihar Teacher Recruitment Examination – III paper leak, where his son, Dr. Shiv Kumar, is currently in jail.