Surat: A tip-off from Surat City police led Delhi police to bust a NEET-UG admission scam, arrest four accused and rescue 18 aspirants, including minors, who were allegedly duped with promises of guaranteed MBBS seats for hefty sums.Based on specific intelligence and technical inputs from Surat police commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut, the Delhi Police crime branch tracked suspects operating from the national capital ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 examination scheduled for May 3. Acting on the input received on May 2, Delhi Police teams conducted searches across about 100 hotels in Mahipalpur Extension and zeroed in on a group staying at Hotel Anand Lok Inn. The operation led to the arrest of four accused, including Vinod Bhikha Patel, a resident of Surat’s Amroli area, who allegedly lured parents and students from Gujarat. Police later raided a flat in Ghaziabad and rescued 18 students who had been taken away from their guardians on the pretext of being given “important exam questions”. Some of the students were minors. Police said they were counselled and allowed to take the examination. Those arrested include Santosh Kumar Jaiswal, described as the mastermind and a Bihar native who runs a pathology laboratory, Dr Akhlaq Alam alias Golden Alam, who completed his MBBS from Kyrgyzstan and allegedly prepared fake question papers using previous years’ material, Sant Pratap Singh of Lucknow, who arranged logistics and accommodation, and Patel, who acted as a broker. “The gang demanded Rs 20 to 30 lakh from parents in the name of MBBS admission. They collected original mark sheets, documents and took signed blank cheques. A day before the exam, students were taken to unknown locations under the guise of being given important questions,” an official said. Police seized 149 pages of fake question papers and study material, three signed blank cheques and other documents. A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and further investigation is underway to identify other members of the network.
