Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police has busted two networks running NEET scams
Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police arrested accused Sumer Singh Bharat Lal Meena (L) and Akash Pappulal Meena in Ahmedabad on Monday (June 15, 2026) in connection with an alleged advertisement of providing access to Re-NEET question paper and confidential examination material on social media platforms. | Photo credit: ANI
In a major crackdown, law enforcement agencies busted two separate fraud rings targeting medical aspirants. Ahmedabad City Police’s cyber crime branch has busted a telegram scam that falsely promised leaked NEET-UG 2026 retest documents, and in a separate case, a 19-year-old from Bihar allegedly hacked hundreds of student accounts to steal their NEET-UG refunds.
In the first case, police arrested two key suspects in Rajasthan — Sumer Singh of Jaipur and Akash Meen of Kota — for running a cyber fraud network that duped unsuspecting individuals.
According to the police, the accused created a network of Telegram channels, including one named “Raghav_Singh_NEET” and seven others, which they later passed on to an anonymous Telegram user operating under the alias “Private Mafia”. Using these channels, the duo circulated highly deceptive posts and advertisements claiming to be in possession of confidential NEET examination questions. In order to appear legitimate, the scammers used third-party apps to artificially inflate the number of subscribers, increasing premium memberships to lull unsuspecting parents and students into a false sense of security.
Investigation revealed that no material related to NEET or any other exam was ever recovered from the accused. It was a completely contrived scheme to induce online payments through QR (quick response) codes and direct bank transfers.
Digital forensics and IP address tracking revealed a very complex financial network. In the last one month alone, the suspects contacted around 1,000 mobile numbers and Telegram channels and made transactions worth ₹1.5 crore.
In order to cover up the illegal origin of the funds, the fraudsters also carried out investment fraud operations that promised high returns. They routed the extorted money through bank accounts linked to online gaming websites, layered the funds into multiple accounts belonging to different individuals, and finally collected the money through associates for personal gain.
So far, 12 complaints in various states have been officially linked to the six primary bank accounts used by the accused. They were booked under Sections 318(4) (cheating), 319(2) (impersonation cheating) and 54 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, along with Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.
The second case
In the second case, authorities tracked 19-year-old suspect Navin Kumar to Bihar for carrying out a large-scale digital heist targeting individual student accounts. Mr. Kumar allegedly targeted the official accounts of the NEET-UG 2026 portal of 350 candidates.
Of the 350 targeted candidates, 150 set weak, simple passwords. Mr. Kumar stole the NEET application numbers and passwords of these candidates to gain unauthorized access to their profiles. After identifying students who were eligible for exam-related refunds, he changed their profile settings – replacing the students’ legitimate bank details with his own – in a fraudulent attempt to capture the refunds.
Following these arrests, authorities have advised students and parents not to trust Telegram channels, social media ads or posts that claim to provide preliminary questions, change exam results or guarantee admission. Candidates must use strong and complex passwords for competitive exam portals to prevent unauthorized access. Authorities also urged people not to engage in financial transactions based on unverified online messages. Any suspicious online activity or cyber fraud should be reported immediately to the National Cyber Helpline Number (1930) or through the official cybercrime portal.
Accept the cards
Meanwhile, around four million candidates have downloaded their admit cards for the NEET-UG re-examination on June 21, the National Testing Agency said on Monday (Jun 15, 2026). “We are aware that some of you are facing technical glitches or server issues while accessing the admit cards. Our teams are working to resolve these issues,” NTA said.
Published – 15 Jun 2026 22:34 IST