Fraudsters’ Rs 20L cheat code to boost NEET scores: Access to OMR sheets

Ahmedabad: While the NEET question paper leak has left honest candidates nationwide distraught and angry, the racket seems to have grown another arm. Fraudsters are offering unethical candidates and their parents another option. One that costs Rs 20 lakh and “guarantees score enhancement without having to bother about attempting difficult questions”.A TOI investigation has found that individuals claiming links with educational consultancies and coaching institutes are approaching parents and aspirants on messaging platforms with promises of filling unanswered questions after the exam to boost scores. Posing as a parent of a NEET aspirant, this reporter sought “help” from one such individual who had shared his number on a messaging platform. He called back identifying himself as “Aarav Singh”. Claiming to be associated with a Bengaluru-based academy, Singh put a Rs 20 lakh tag on the scheme, and spelled out how things would work. He said the candidate must appear for the examination, but leave questions they are unsure about unanswered. An “internal network” will then fill out the blank responses on the OMR sheet.“This process happens after the exam. You have to write the exam yourself. Whatever questions are left blank will be filled through a code number used to identify your OMR sheet,” the caller claimed.The alleged operator demanded Rs 50,000 upfront as “token fee for document verification”, with the rest Rs 19.5 lakh payable after results are out. He sought copies of the aspirant’s Class X and Class XII mark sheets, the NEET-UG 2026 acknowledgement receipt, Aadhaar card and passport-sized photograph. He insisted that the initial payment be made online.To build credibility, the caller shared details of a Bengaluru office and asked the reporter to seek an appointment for “discussing admission under management quota”. Further details were to be disclosed in person. When the reporter sought a guarantee, he repeatedly assured that not only would the OMR sheet be altered but the result itself would be “updated”.