The Bihar Police’s EOU identified Sikandar Yadvendu as the main suspect in illegally distributing NEET exam papers. They arrested 13 individuals, including four NEET-UG 2024 candidates and their families, all from Bihar.
DIG Manavjit Singh Dhillon mentioned that nine more candidates, seven from Bihar, one from Uttar Pradesh, and one from Maharashtra, were summoned for investigation.
On May 5, Anurag Yadav, a NEET candidate, along with his uncle Sikandar Yadvendu and two others, Nitish Kumar and Anand, were arrested. Anurag confessed that Yadvendu had assured him of leaked exam questions for a price of ₹30 lakh per candidate. The group was apprehended in a rented house in Ramkrishna Nagar, Patna, where police discovered phones, admit cards, and other evidence.
Sikandar Yadvendu’s Involvement
Yadvendu, a 56-year-old junior engineer at Danapur’s municipal committee, hailing from a farmer’s family, was arrested as the prime suspect in a paper leak case, per the Indian Express. Formerly a small contractor until 2012, he resides in a rented flat in Rupaspur, Patna, and holds a diploma in engineering with over a decade of contracting experience.
In the 1980s, Yadvendu’s father, a farmer from Bihar’s Samastipur with eight bighas of land, moved to Ranchi after completing class 10 for further studies, earning a diploma.
In 2012, during NDA’s Bihar rule, Yadvendu became a junior engineer in the state’s water resources department. By 2016, he faced allegations in a ₹2.92 crore LED scam in Rohtas Municipal Council, accused of buying LEDs at inflated prices for Dalmia Nagar. He was arrested and released on bail.
In 2021, he reportedly leveraged his connections to transfer to the urban development and housing department, where he secured a position in the Danapur Municipal Council. The Indian Express reported his influence in approving layouts for new apartment projects in the area.
The Yadvendu Political Controversy
Bihar Deputy CM Vijay Sinha claimed that RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s secretary contacted an NHAI guest house worker to book a room for Yadvendu.
At a press conference, he said, “On May 1, Tejashwi Yadav’s personal secretary Pritam Kumar called guesthouse worker Pradip Kumar to book a room for Sikander Kumar Yadvendu who was jailed in Ranchi. On May 4, Pritam Kumar called Pradip Kumar again to book the room in the NHAI guest house. The word ‘Mantri’ was used for Tejashwi Yadav. He should clarify if Pritam Kumar is still his PS, and he should also clarify who Sikander Kumar Yadvendu is. When Lalu Prasad Yadav was jailed in Ranchi, Sikander Kumar Yadvendu used to be at Lalu’s service. He was a Junior Engineer in the irrigation department. They play with the future of the people. They do scams when they are in power, and they try to influence the appointment process.”
Responding to the allegations, Yadav said on Friday, “The INDIA alliance is united on this issue. We want the NEET exam to be immediately canceled. The (BJP) has all the investigation agencies, they can call the PS or PA anyone for the probe. They want to divert the issue from the kingpin. Those who want to drag my name or my PA’s name, this will not benefit anyone. The engineer who is talked about could be a beneficiary, but Amit Anand and Nitish Kumar are the masterminds of the paper leak. The people of the country know that whenever BJP comes to power, then paper leaks happen.”
“Only Vijay Sinha is making these claims. The Economic Offences Wing (EOU) has never raised any questions. When the arrests happened in May since then we have been raising our voices to carry out a probe. The engineer (Sikandar Yadvendu) about whom they are talking was recruited in 2021 by them in the urban development from the water resources department. Why do they want to save Amit Anand and Nitish Kumar? The truth will prevail soon. When paper leaks happened in the third phase of the teachers’ recruitment test (TRE) conducted by BPSC the accused get bail without going to prison,” he added.
