Sanjeev Mukhiya remained in judicial custody even after his bail in the CBI case. (@IndianGems_/X)

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday said it found no evidence linking alleged paper leak kingpin Sanjeev Kumar alias Sanjeev Mukhiya to the theft or distribution of the NEET-UG 2024 question paper, despite his initial inclusion as an accused in the FIR registered by Bihar Police.In a statement, the agency said Bihar Police had named Mukhiya in the FIR after the NEET-UG paper theft was detected in 2024, citing his alleged involvement in other examination paper leak cases. However, after the case was transferred to the CBI, the agency conducted a detailed investigation and identified all those involved in the theft, distribution of the stolen question paper and the beneficiaries.The CBI said it filed multiple chargesheets against 45 accused before a Patna court but did not find any evidence to establish Mukhiya’s role in the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak conspiracy.“Mukhiya remained absconding during the relevant period and was later arrested by Bihar Police. Since he was named in the FIR, the CBI took him into police custody for examination in the NEET-UG 2024 case. However, no evidence of his involvement emerged during the investigation,” the agency said.As a result, the CBI did not name Mukhiya in any chargesheet in the case, following which he secured bail in the NEET-UG 2024 matter. The agency added that he continued to remain in judicial custody in connection with other cases being investigated by Bihar Police.The CBI maintained that its probe had identified the entire conspiracy behind the NEET-UG 2024 paper theft and ensured that all those involved were brought to justice.