Gujarat Police arrest two in RE-NEET scam; 1,000+ students defrauded
Synopsis
Two Rajasthan men allegedly built a multi-state Telegram racket around a RE-NEET paper that was never leaked — and still managed to defraud over 1,000 students of more than ₹1.5 crore. The scheme combined fake membership inflation, investment fraud, and gaming-site money laundering, revealing how exam anxiety is being systematically weaponised by cyber criminals.
Key Takeaways
Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch arrested Sumer Singh Meena and Akash Meena , both from Sawai Madhopur district, Rajasthan , on 15 June .
The accused falsely claimed to possess RE-NEET question papers via Telegram; police confirmed no actual paper was leaked .
Over 1,000 students and parents were allegedly defrauded, with transactions exceeding ₹1.5 crore recorded in their accounts.
Akash Meena was allegedly operating approximately 44 websites linked to cyber criminal activities; 8 Telegram groups recovered from his devices.
Six bank accounts tied to the accused were linked to 12 complaints across multiple states ; fraud proceeds were routed through gaming websites.
Police investigations are ongoing in Rajasthan, Bihar, West Bengal , and other states to identify further accused.
The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch on Monday, 15 June arrested two Rajasthan-based men for allegedly operating an interstate cyber fraud network that cheated over 1,000 students and parents by falsely claiming to sell RE-NEET examination question papers through Telegram and other social media platforms. Authorities confirmed that no actual paper was leaked.
How the Fraud Operated
According to the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch, the accused created multiple Telegram channels, IDs, and online groups carrying messages that purported to offer access to RE-NEET question papers ahead of the examination scheduled for 21 June. Students and parents were targeted through advertisements and posts promising examination-related material.
Money was collected via online payment platforms, QR codes, and bank accounts on the pretext of supplying papers and confidential information. Investigators further alleged that the accused artificially inflated membership numbers on their Telegram channels using third-party services, then used those figures to sell the channels and generate unlawful income.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sharad Singhal said at a press conference that gang members posted messages within their own groups claiming that the previous year’s paper had an 80 per cent strike rate — a tactic designed to manufacture credibility. ‘When they saw that 300–400 premium members had joined, gang members themselves would post messages claiming that the previous year’s paper had an 80 per cent strike rate,’ Singhal said.
Who Was Arrested
Technical analysis of Telegram channels, mobile numbers, IP addresses, and digital evidence, combined with human intelligence inputs, led investigators to two accused: Sumer Singh Meena and Akash Meena.
Sumer Singh Meena, an ITI graduate in Electronics, is a resident of Mahesh Nagar, near JDA Park in Jaipur, Rajasthan, and originally from Puneta village in Bonli tehsil of Sawai Madhopur district. Akash Meena, a BA graduate in English and Hindi, was arrested in Kota and hails from Rawal village in Sawai Madhopur district.
Telegram channels operated by the accused included names such as Raghav_singh_neet, DEEPAK WADHWA, JEET SHAH CRYPTO, PANKAJ BHARDWAY WAY2LAABH, TRADING WITH KAROL, RAJDHANI DAY KALYANI, NEET RAGHAV SIR ORIGINAL, and STUDENT MONEY HELP.
Scale of the Alleged Fraud
Investigators said transactions exceeding ₹1.5 crore were recorded in the accused’s bank accounts over the past year, with more than 1,000 students allegedly defrauded. Six bank accounts linked to the accused were found to be associated with 12 complaints from different states.
Fraud proceeds were allegedly routed through gaming websites before being transferred to different bank accounts and withdrawn through associates. Akash Meena was reportedly operating approximately 44 websites linked to cyber criminal activities, and around eight Telegram groups were recovered from his mobile phone and laptops.
The accused were also allegedly involved in investment-related cyber frauds through Telegram channels named Trade With Karol and PANKAJ BHARDWAJ, which reportedly lured people into making investments by promising high returns.
Legal Provisions and Key Clarification
The case was registered under Sections 318(4), 319(2), and 54 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act. Singhal was categorical in his clarification: ‘First of all, I would like to clarify that the RE-NEET examination paper was not leaked.’
No NEET or other examination-related study material was recovered from either accused, police said.
Investigation Ongoing, Public Advisory Issued
Police teams are continuing inquiries across Rajasthan, Bihar, West Bengal, and other states to identify additional individuals allegedly involved in money transfers, withdrawals, advertising, and technical support activities. Around 1,000 mobile numbers and Telegram channels were contacted during the course of the investigation over the past month.
The Cyber Crime Branch has advised students, parents, and the general public not to trust Telegram channels, social media posts, or online advertisements claiming to provide examination papers in advance, alter results, or guarantee admissions. With multiple state investigations underway, the full scale of the network is expected to become clearer in the coming weeks.
Point of View
Exploiting the anxiety that surrounds high-stakes medical entrance exams. That over 1,000 students and parents paid advances for something that did not exist points to a trust deficit in the examination system itself, which fraudsters are cynically monetising. The layered money trail — through gaming websites, associate accounts, and 44 separate sites — suggests this was not opportunistic but organised, and the ongoing probe across four states hints that the arrested duo may be nodes in a larger network.
NationPress
31 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Was the RE-NEET question paper actually leaked?
No. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sharad Singhal explicitly confirmed at a press conference that the RE-NEET examination paper was not leaked. The accused merely claimed to possess it in order to collect advance payments from students and parents.
Who are the two men arrested in the RE-NEET scam?
The arrested accused are Sumer Singh Meena, an ITI Electronics graduate from Mahesh Nagar, Jaipur, originally from Sawai Madhopur district; and Akash Meena, a BA graduate arrested in Kota, also originally from Sawai Madhopur district. Both are from Rajasthan.
How much money was allegedly defrauded in the RE-NEET scam?
Investigators recorded transactions exceeding ₹1.5 crore in the accused’s bank accounts over the past year. More than 1,000 students and parents were allegedly cheated, with six bank accounts linked to 12 complaints across different states.
How did the accused carry out the fraud?
The accused created multiple Telegram channels falsely claiming to sell RE-NEET question papers, inflated channel membership using third-party services to appear credible, and collected payments via QR codes and bank accounts. Fraud proceeds were allegedly laundered through gaming websites before being withdrawn through associates.
What legal action has been taken and what happens next?
The case has been registered under Sections 318(4), 319(2), and 54 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 66(D) of the IT Act. Police teams are continuing investigations in Rajasthan, Bihar, West Bengal, and other states to identify additional members of the network involved in money transfers, advertising, and technical support.
