An 18-year-old candidate, who appeared for the NEET re-exam in Hyderabad on June 21 was apprehended after he was allegedly caught for malpractice, police said.

The accused was caught red-handed inside the washroom while searching for answers on his mobile phone.

The student, a resident of Achampet, came to the Zilla Parishad High School in Ragannaguda, under the Adibatla police station limits, around 7 am and placed a mobile phone in the washroom ventilator, a release from Hyderabad Police said.

He managed to access the washroom ventilator as it was adjoining a school compound wall.

At 11 am, he entered the washroom and concealed the phone in a zip-lock cover before hiding it in a flush tank, police said.

"Although police security teams had thoroughly inspected the premises twice, once at 6 am and again at 11 am, and conducted strict frisking of all candidates at the entrance, the phone hidden inside the flush tank remained undetected during initial checks," police said.

During the examination, the accused complained of stomach pain and requested to use the restroom.

The washroom, which serves as the only common facility for the entire centre, is situated far away from the school building, police said.

After the invigilator found that the student had spent an unusually long time, he sent a few staff members to check.

Police said the accused was caught red-handed inside the washroom, actively searching for answers on his mobile phone. Upon being alerted, a police team seized the mobile phone.

A thorough inspection of the device revealed that he was using Google to search for answers, with no other active applications of concern besides Instagram, police further said.

The accused confessed to the act during interrogation and is currently in police custody.

Following a complaint by the school administration, the police have registered a case under relevant sections of the BNS and Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, police added.

Again, in another case, another medical aspirant was arrested in Varanasi during the day of exam after a SIM card, an old question paper of the medical entrance exam, and adhesive material were allegedly recovered from his undergarments, police said.

The incident took place at Harishchandra Post Graduate College in the Maidagin area, a designated exam centre, before the commencement of the test.

According to the police sources, security personnel grew suspicious during the pre-examination frisking and conducted a thorough search of the candidate, which led to the recovery of the items hidden in his undergarments.

Following the recovery, the candidate was immediately taken into custody.

During initial interrogation, the detained student identified himself as Prince Dubey, a resident of Ballia district, sources said.

In Bihar, nine people were detained on Sunday in connection with alleged impersonation during the NEET-UG re-examination in Lakhisarai district, officials said.

SP Prerna Kumar said the detainees were suspected of appearing in the examination in place of registered candidates.

"Nine persons have been detained on suspicion of impersonating NEET-UG candidates during the examination. An FIR may be registered after written complaints are received from the centre superintendents concerned," Kumar told PTI.