NEET UG MBBS scam: Bhopal consultant arrested in fake certificate racket

In short

Dheeraj Kumar Srivastava, 37, owner of MBBS Way consultancy in Bhopal, was arrested on Thursday, 24 September 2026, in Dehradun.
Srivastava is the third person arrested in the scam, which involves securing MBBS admissions using fraudulent freedom fighter dependent certificates.
Police recovered Rs 5.6 lakh from Srivastava's vehicle, bringing the total cash recovery in the case to Rs 13.6 lakh.
The admissions of at least 12 other students are currently under scanner, with more arrests expected.
The investigation has expanded beyond freedom fighter dependent certificates to include all categories of domicile and reservation certificates.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Dehradun police arrested Bhopal-based admission consultant Dheeraj Kumar Srivastava on Thursday, 24 September 2026, in connection with an alleged fake certificate racket linked to NEET-UG MBBS admissions. Srivastava, 37, who runs MBBS Way consultancy in Bhopal, is accused of playing a key role in arranging fraudulent certificates for admissions under the freedom fighter dependants’ quota.

This arrest marks the third in the ongoing investigation, which came to light after inconsistencies were noticed in applications, such as candidates from different places providing the same address. The scam involves candidates allegedly using forged certificates to secure reserved MBBS and BDS seats under the state quota during NEET UG counselling.

Arrest and Recoveries in the Investigation

Dheeraj Kumar Srivastava was arrested from his vehicle in Dehradun. Police recovered Rs 5,58,100 from his car, which was later confiscated. Per SSP Pramendra Dobal, Srivastava’s name emerged during the interrogation of previously arrested mastermind Rupesh Pandit and Arvind Kumar. Investigators found that Srivastava had connected with Pandit approximately two years ago at an Ayurveda college in Uttarkashi district.

The cash recovered from Srivastava was reportedly paid by Pandit as a share of illicit proceeds. Police had previously recovered roughly Rs 8 lakh from Pandit, bringing the total cash recovery in the case to Rs 13.6 lakh. Rupesh Pandit, 30, of Meerut, who ran Mecodo Pathshala, allegedly brokered deals of value Rs 45 lakh each with at least three students to secure MBBS admissions in various Uttarakhand colleges using fraudulent freedom fighter dependent certificates.

Scope of the Scam and Further Actions

The alleged network extends beyond Uttarakhand, and more arrests are expected as authorities actively identify additional suspects. The SIT, led by Dehradun SP (Rural) Jaya Baluni, is a seven-member team. The investigation has widened beyond freedom fighter dependent certificates to include all categories of domicile and reservation certificates, including EWS and permanent domicile certificates. The Uttarakhand Medical Education Department has directed principals of all 10 government and private medical colleges participating in the counselling to verify documents.

All three students for whom Pandit allegedly brokered deals were named in an initial FIR, and their admissions were cancelled after the scam came to light. A fourth student is facing a separate FIR at another police station in Dehradun over similar allegations. Arvind Kumar, 48, of Haridwar, the father of a student who secured admission under the freedom fighter dependents quota, admitted he paid Rs 20 lakh to prepare a forged certificate for his daughter, against whom a case has been registered at Raipur police station. An SIT official stated that the admissions of at least 12 other students are currently under scanner. Also, an advocate practicing at Dehradun sessions and district court is under police radar for allegedly assisting in procuring forged certificates from government departments.

Modus Operandi and Initial Detection

The scam came to light after Pradeep Bahuguna, who examined applications, noticed candidates from different places provided the same address. Pandit allegedly arranged forged quota certificates after getting a fake Aadhaar card made in the name of deceased freedom fighter Dharamveer Verma through a Common Service Centre in Dehradun. Some forged certificates even carried AI-generated photographs. Four students have been found to have secured MBBS admissions using fake certificates claiming to be heirs of freedom fighter Dharmveer.

Two FIRs were registered on 13 September under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Raipur and Clement Town police stations. Whistle-blowers and journalists had submitted documents to the Health Minister and administration, flagging over 350 suspicious domicile and reserved category certificates, leading to the formation of the SIT and an inquiry by the District Magistrate. The SIT is scrutinising documents from SDM and patwari offices and has initiated cancellation of forged certificates and registration of cases. The SIT is also examining e-district centres and CSC centres.

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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