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The Nalanda Police has busted an organised NEET 'solver gang' during a high-alert vehicle inspection conducted ahead of the now-cancelled NEET-UG examination 2026.


Three individuals, including a second-year MBBS student, were apprehended after being found in possession of substantial cash, forged admit cards, and incriminating digital evidence.


Providing details on the operation, Rajgir DSP Sunil Kumar Singh stated on Tuesday that a heightened state of alertness was in effect across the entire district due to the scheduled NEET examination on May 3. During routine vehicle checks, police identified two suspicious vehicles and intercepted them for questioning.


A subsequent search of the vehicle led to the recovery of bundles of currency notes, which, upon questioning, the accused claimed amounted to ₹2 lakh.


DSP Sunil Kumar Singh said, "Since the NEET examination was scheduled for the 3rd May, a heightened state of alertness was in effect across the entire district. Consequently, we were conducting vehicle checks. We identified two vehicles that appeared suspicious. We stopped the vehicles and proceeded to question the occupants. One individual identified himself as a second-year MBBS student. Upon searching the vehicle, we discovered bundles of currency notes. When questioned about the money, he claimed it amounted to Rs 2 lakh. We took him along with the vehicle to the police station. There were a total of three individuals; all three were taken into custody at the station."


The DSP further mentioned that all three individuals present in the vehicles were taken into custody. During a forensic examination of their mobile phones the following morning, officers discovered numerous admit cards for various examinations, including NEET, along with records of financial transactions and other pertinent details linked to the racket.


"The following morning, when the officers-in-charge began examining their mobile phones, they discovered numerous admit cards for various examinations, including NEET, records of financial transactions, and other pertinent details... Consequently, the 'solvers' (proxy examinees) were unable to reach the examination centres, where the actual candidates were waiting for them. We had also deployed our own personnel at these locations, and the police force remained on high alert across the entire region. As a result, the solvers failed to gain access to the examination centres... In connection with this case, three individuals have been apprehended. The primary accused is the second-year MBBS student, identified as Awadhesh Kumar. His accomplice is Aman Kumar Singh. Additionally, a third individual named Pankaj Kumar has been arrested... Furthermore, efforts are underway to identify and locate the mastermind behind this gang... Additionally, the evidence retrieved from their mobile phones is being analysed, and individuals who arrived from various examination centres are being interrogated...," he said.


DSP Singh confirmed that efforts are currently underway to identify and locate the mastermind behind the operation. Meanwhile, authorities are analysing the evidence retrieved from the seized mobile devices and interrogating individuals linked to various examination centres to uncover the full extent of the network.

Workers at Denver airport missed a security breach by a man who scaled a perimeter fence and crossed a runway where he was hit and killed in a fiery collision by a plane with 231 people on board, authorities said Tuesday.

The runway fatality underscores the longstanding challenge of keeping intruders out of major airports. Denver International Airport sprawls across 53 square miles (138 square kilometers) — twice the size of Manhattan — on open prairie northeast of the city center.

The 41-year-old trespasser triggered an alarm as he crossed into the airport in a remote area about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the terminal late Friday night. But security personnel mistakenly attributed that alarm to a herd of deer that was nearby and the airport did not find out about the intruder until after the fact, when the pilot notified the control tower that the plane had hit somebody.

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

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Authorities said the man died by suicide. However, no note from the victim was immediately recovered. The manner of death was determined based on the investigation at the scene, a records review and a postmortem examination, said Sterling McLaren, chief medical examiner for the city and county of Denver.

The collision involving the Frontier Airlines plane as it was taking off for Los Angeles sparked an engine fire that forced passengers to evacuate via slides. Twelve people sustained minor injuries and five were taken to hospitals. Four have since been released, said airport Chief Executive Officer Phillip Washington.

A black-and-white video released by the airport shows, from a distance, a figure walking toward the runway with arms swaying. The person crosses onto the runway at a slight angle and seconds later the plane is seen speeding past. It strikes the person with its right engine, which bursts into flame.

Federal officials notified the airport

A few minutes before the man scaled the 8-foot (2.4-meter) fence, a ground-based radar system activated in the area, triggering an alarm. A worker at the city-owned airport checked a surveillance camera and saw a herd of deer in the same area but did not initially see the trespasser, Washington said.

"The camera view was alternating between the wildlife and the individual. There are some ditches in the area, so the person was out of view for a bit as well,” Washington said.

The man crossed about 650 feet (200 meters) from the fence to the runway and was inside the perimeter for only two minutes before being struck by the Frontier Airlines plane that was traveling at 150 mph (240 kph), he said.

Emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene after air traffic controllers were notified by the pilot about the collision, airport representatives said in response to questions from The Associated Press.

The airport declined to provide details on their procedures for dealing with trespassers or how often they enter its grounds.

The plane’s engine caused the man’s death, McLaren said. She described it as “a purposeful act with a foreseeable fatal outcome.”

Denver police Chief Ron Thomas said investigators were contacting the man’s family and those who knew him to seek more information about his motivations.

Trespassers breaching airport perimeters is a regular problem, with perhaps dozens annually nationwide, said security expert Jeff Price, who was assistant director of security at the Denver airport in the 1990s. The airport is surrounded by about 36 miles (58 kilometers) of perimeter fence, which airport officials say is continuously inspected.

The vast majority of airport trespassers are intoxicated or simply “messing around just to see if they could do it,” said Price, adding that they typically don't pose a real threat. Denver also gets the rare individual who will jump the fence seeking to prove a long-running conspiracy theory about there being a UFO base at the airport, he said.

The Transportation Security Administration oversees airport security programs, including perimeter security requirements.

“It's really not that difficult to jump an airport perimeter fence,” Price said. “They meet the standards for TSA, but the standards are not that robust.”

The fences are typically 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 meters) tall with barbed wire at the top, he said. They must be approved by federal inspectors, but there are no set rules on their construction. Major airports such as Denver typically also have intrusion detection systems that include cameras and motion sensors, he said. Some systems detect the seismic impact of people dropping to the ground, Price said.

Evacuation under scrutiny

The person was killed on the airport’s easternmost north-south runway and at least 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) from any airport buildings. Empty fields and croplands surround Denver International Airport in most directions. Distant trees and structures in the video showed that the person was headed toward the airport when they crossed the runway.

The National Transportation Safety Board on Sunday said it is gathering information about the plane's evacuation.

An agency spokesperson said an investigation would be launched if it's determined the injuries meet the agency's definition for “serious." That can include a person requiring hospitalization for more than 48 hours, suffering a broken bone, or second- or third-degree burns affecting more than 5% of their body.

Saudi Arabia's Air Force carried out numerous, unpublicized strikes on Iran in late March, in retaliation for the attacks carried out in the country during the Iran War, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing two Western officials and two Iranian officials.


According to the Reuters report, this is the first time that Saudi Arabia is known to have directly attacked Iran - reflective of how Riyadh is becoming bolder in defending itself.


The attacks by the Saudi Air Force were assessed to have been carried out in late March, the two Western officials said. One said only that they were "tit-for-tat strikes in retaliation for when Saudi Arabia was hit."


However, Reuters said that it was unable to confirm what the specific targets were.


When requested for a comment, a senior Saudi foreign ministry official did not address directly whether strikes had been carried out and the Iranian foreign ministry did not respond.


The Saudi strikes underline how the conflict has widened in the West Asia and Gulf region in ways which were not previously acknowledged.


In order to prevent the conflict from escalating further, Saudi Arabia has stayed in regular contact with Iran, including via Tehran's ambassador in Riyadh.


As per Reuters, the Iranian and Western officials said Riyadh made Tehran aware of the strikes and this was followed by intensive diplomatic engagement and Saudi threats to retaliate further, which led to an understanding between the two countries to de-escalate.


It mentioned that the informal de-escalation took effect in the week before Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire in their broader conflict on April 7.


One of the Iranian officials confirmed that the two countries had agreed to de-escalate, saying the move aimed to "cease hostilities, safeguard mutual interests, and prevent the escalation of tensions."


Saudi Arabia's strikes followed weeks of mounting tension.


At a press conference in Riyadh on March 19, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the kingdom "reserved the right to take military actions if deemed necessary."


Reuters noted that three days later, Saudi Arabia declared Iran's military attache and four embassy staff members personae non gratae.


The end of March saw the taking of a more hawkish approach and retaliating further led to an understanding to de-escalate, the Western sources said.


As per the report, from more than 105 drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia in the week of March 25-31, the number fell to just over 25 between April 1-6, according to a Reuters tally of Saudi defence ministry statements.


It also mentioned that the projectiles fired at Saudi Arabia in the days leading up to the wider ceasefire were assessed by Western sources to have originated in Iraq and not Iran, thus indicating Tehran curtailed direct strikes while allied groups continued to operate.


As Saudi Arabia summoned Iraq's ambassador on April 12 to protest against attacks from Iraqi soil, the Saudi-Iranian communication continued despite tensions which emerged at the start of the broader ceasefire between Iran and the US, when, according to the Saudi defence ministry reported 31 drones and 16 missiles fired at the kingdom on April 7-8.


The spike drove Riyadh to consider retaliating against Iran and Iraq, as Pakistan deployed fighter jets, the report mentioned.


The revelation of Saudi strikes comes shortly after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reportedly carried out covert strikes on Iran, marking a significant escalation in the Gulf monarchy's role in the war, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier, citing people familiar with the matter.

FBI Director Kash Patel angrily lashed out at a Democratic lawmaker at a budget hearing Tuesday, calling allegations that he drinks excessively on the job and has been unreachable to his staff at times “unequivocally, categorically false.”


“I will not be tarnished by baseless allegations and fraudulent statements from the media,” Patel told Sen. Chris Van Hollen during a testy exchange that began when the Maryland Democrat confronted him about a recent article in The Atlantic magazine that painted an unflattering portrait of his leadership of the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency.


Patel has filed a $250 million lawsuit over the story. The Atlantic has said it stands by its reporting and would vigorously defend against the “meritless lawsuit.”


Patel shouted over Van Hollen and sought to turn the tables by accusing him of “slinging margaritas on the taxpayer dime” in El Salvador, a reference to a visit the Democrat paid last year to Kilmar Abrego Garcia while he was jailed there following his mistaken deportation to the country.


“The only person who has been drinking during the day on the taxpayer dime was you,” Patel said.


“Director Patel, come on,” Van Hollen said. “These are serious allegations that were made against you.”


He at one point asked Patel if he was willing to take a test meant to measure whether an individual has a drinking problem, prompting Patel to shoot back, “I’ll take any test you’re willing to take.”


The senator called Patel's claims of margaritas in El Salvador “provably false.” After last year's meeting, Van Hollen publicly accused El Salvador’s government of having misrepresented the nature of his encounter with Abrego Garcia, saying officials there had staged the meeting with drinks appearing to be alcohol and angled to set the meeting by a hotel pool.


The testy exchange occurred at an annual Senate subcommittee budget hearing featuring Patel and other senior law enforcement leaders. The director used the forum to tout what he described as major crime-fighting achievements since he took the position and received a friendly reception from Republican senators who praised his leadership.


Democrats, by contrast, pressed Patel on headline-generating travel that has blended his professional duties with private leisure — including a trip to the Winter Olympics in Italy, where he partied with the U.S. men's hockey team after their gold medal win — as well as the mass terminations of agents who worked on investigations into President Donald Trump.


“You attended the Olympics in Milan,” said Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat. “How much did your trip cost and to what extent did that help you carry out your mission as director of the FBI?”


Patel responded that the FBI was responsible for security at the Olympics and asserted that his trip to Italy helped facilitate the transfer of a Chinese cybercriminal to U.S. custody, who had been detained by Italian authorities.

At night, silence fell over the Louisiana immigration detention facility where 85-year-old Marie-Thérèse Ross was held. Then the wailing began.


’’Children crying, and even babies,” said Ross, the French widow of a U.S. military veteran, whose arrest last month as part of the Trump administration’s i mmigration crackdown made international headlines.


Ross spoke to The Associated Press on Monday about her 16 days in federal immigration custody after being arrested on April 1 in Alabama following an alleged visa overstay, and the late-in-life love story that brought her to the United States. She has been released and returned to France.


The experience in detention, she said, changed her, and her view of politics.


She was held in a dormitory-style room with 58 other women, mostly mothers. ‘’Some of them didn’t know where their children were,'' she said. ‘’I think it’s terrible for a woman not to know where her children are.”


Her arrest in Alabama unfolded so quickly that she barely understood what was happening. Five men, who identified themselves as immigration officers, banged on her door and windows at 8 a.m. before handcuffing her and placing her in a vehicle, she said. She was still wearing her bathrobe, slippers and pajamas.


She was transferred two days later to a facility in Basile, Louisiana. Later that month, she was freed. She is now recovering in a suburb of Nantes in western France with her family. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot had publicly called for her release, saying that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement methods are “not in line” with French standards.


Ross had entered the U.S. to start a new life with William B. Ross, a retired U.S. soldier she had met when he was stationed in France in the 1950s and she was a secretary at NATO.


Between 1962 and 2022, they stayed in touch via William's wife, who was friends with Marie-Therese. “After we both became widowed, we decided to spend holidays together,'' Marie-Therese Ross said. ‘’Then feelings came back, and we decided to marry last year.'' She crossed the Atlantic and moved in with him in Anniston, Alabama.


After he died of natural causes in January, a dispute emerged over his estate.


His sons rerouted mail from the Alabama residence, leading their stepmother to miss an immigration-related appointment, an Alabama judge noted in a court order. The judge accused one son — a former Alabama State Trooper who now works as a federal employee — of using his position to prompt the detention of his stepmother, and urged a federal investigation into what happened.


The stepson denied involvement in her arrest. Marie-Therese described warm relations with William's sons before he died. After his death, she said, they ‘’transformed.''


The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that Ross overstayed her 90-day visa and that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities are “regularly audited and inspected” to comply with national standards.


“All detainees are provided with proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers. ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens," the department said.


At the detention facility in Louisiana, Ross described strict rules, constant shouting from guards and condescending treatment.


“The prison was clean, the food was OK, but it was the way they spoke to us,” she told the AP. “The guards could not speak without yelling.”


She described the place as noisy. ’’Everybody was talking loudly so everybody could hear what they were saying, but when silence came, you could hear children crying and even babies crying,″ she said. ’’There’s babies in this jail.″


Despite the conditions, Ross described moments of solidarity among detainees. “During the night, if my bed cover slipped away, I felt a small hand putting it back,” she said. “I didn’t know who it was, but they pampered me because I was older than them.”


She said the women called her “Grandma.” She kept a handmade friendship bracelet given to her by another detainee, woven from strips of colored plastic, a gift she wears today.


Family members said Ross is still struggling with memory gaps and emotional distress following her detention. She said she wants to seek medical follow-up in France to address symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress and is receiving support.


Ross said she continues to think about the women she met in custody, most of them from South America. Many were mothers separated from their children.


Her experience changed the way she sees the United States and its immigration policies, Ross said. Her husband was a Trump supporter and they used to watch Fox News together. But she was shocked to learn firsthand how immigrants are treated inside immigration facilities.


She used to view the U.S. as a “country of freedom, where people are not arrested based on how they look, and where those who are detained are treated fairly and with respect.” But the women she met did not deserve to be detained, she said. “Their only fault was to be South American.”


As she recovers in France, Ross still thinks about them: “When I left this jail in Louisiana, I told them that if I ever had the chance to speak about them, I would do it, to help them.”