India has imposed stricter restrictions on Telegram due to concerns over the NEET-UG re-examination. In response, Rajasthan Police apprehended a 19-year-old student from Bhilwara for vending counterfeit question papers through a Telegram channel named ‘Paper Mafia’. The accused, operating under a US-based VPN and proxy network to hide his identity, purportedly demanded Rs 4,000 per paper from aspirants.
The arrest of the accused, just days before the scheduled retest on June 21, was confirmed by Bhilwara Police. The student, identified as Akash Choudhary, was allegedly running the Telegram channel through a US-based VPN and proxy network to mask his identity. Authorities disclosed that the channel had approximately 52 members, with Choudhary allegedly charging Rs 4,000 per paper and receiving payments via QR code transfers.
According to the police, Choudhary, who is currently preparing for competitive exams in Jaipur, produced and circulated fake question papers by scanning pages from NEET preparation books. During the raid at his residence, law enforcement recovered a mobile phone, NEET study material, and various documents. Investigators are now scrutinizing his bank transactions, digital footprint, and potential connections to a broader fraudulent network.
Pratap Nagar SHO Sunil Tada mentioned that the Special Branch received alerts about suspicious social media activities related to alleged paper leaks through the S-Make portal. Simultaneously, the District Special Team (DST) received intelligence regarding a youth in Patel Nagar selling fake ‘Re-NEET papers’ online. Following verification, a raid was conducted, resulting in the detention of the accused. Choudhary’s family, originally from Rajasthan’s Churu district, has been residing in Bhilwara for about 25 years.
