Sources confirm the sprawling medical exam fraud in India has forced a nationwide retake. Security forces stood watch as close to 300,000 students sat for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) again this morning. The unprecedented move follows claims that organised crime rings sold leaked question papers for upwards of £10,000 a pop.
Documents obtained by this desk reveal the scale of the corruption. Investigators believe the leak originated from a high-level mole within the National Testing Agency. At least three intermediaries have been arrested, but the money trail points higher. Bank records show deposits of nearly £2 million into accounts linked to a suspended education department official.
One candidate, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: 'We studied for years. Then we heard answers were being sold. It makes you sick. Now we sit here with guards watching. It feels like we are the criminals.' The sentiment is echoed across the country. Protests broke out in Bihar and Gujarat last week after it emerged that scores in some centres had been artificially inflated.
The retest itself is a logistical nightmare. Over 4,000 exam halls are now under paramilitary protection. Mobile phones are banned. Students are being scanned twice. Even invigilators have to surrender their devices. The government has deployed drones to monitor the venues. But questions remain: how far up does this go? And who profited?
A senior investigating officer told me: 'This is not a leak. This is a syndicate. We are tracing the money, and it goes into real estate and gold. People in suits are involved. We will get them.' He refused to elaborate, but our own enquiries have turned up shell companies registered in the names of peons and clerks. The real owners are unknown.
The health ministry has remained silent, but internal memos show panic. One note, dated 10 June, warns of 'unprecedented damage to the credibility of the examination system'. It also mentions that the leak may have been active for three years before detection. If true, thousands of doctors may have qualified illegally.
Meanwhile, students are exhausted. Many have travelled hundreds of miles for the retest. Some have been sleeping in railway stations. The government has promised results within two weeks, but nobody expects closure. This scandal is a wound that keeps bleeding.
As I write, the last batch of examinees has left the centre in Delhi. Armed guards are still stationed at the gates. The chief invigilator shook his head as he locked the door. 'We have done our job,' he said. 'But who watches the watchers?'
A good question. The answers, as always, are buried in accounts and ledgers. I will keep digging.