Patna: When it comes to job description, the versatility of a “handler” is no longer limited to airport cargo, the police dog squad, political campaigns, or even a spy ring.
Investigators piecing together the conspiracy behind the NEET-UG paper leak have a handle on how “handlers” operate in the shady realm of the nationwide exam racket whose roots have been traced to Bihar and Jharkhand.
“The nine handlers arrested in the NEET-UG case so far – six in Jharkhand and three in Bihar – are tech-savvy individuals who played a crucial role in orchestrating the leak of question papers, training examinees who paid for these to memorise the answers, and even escorting them to their respective centres,” a senior police officer said.
The six handlers arrested from Jharkhand’s Deoghar used to reside in rented accommodation, masquerading as labourers.
Their brief was to ensure the leaked papers reached the intended recipients while maintaining high secrecy and anonymity.
“Once a particular exam got over, they would get to work on identifying the chinks in the system for the next one,” the officer said.
To expand their client base, these handlers would look for opportunities to connect with coaching centres, schools and colleges on some pretext.
They would seek out individuals associated with the exam process, aiming to bribe them into getting useful information.

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