Parents under scanner in NEET 2026 leak case, CBI probe Rs 10-25 lakh deals

New Delhi: After paper solvers, middlemen, and exam insiders, now the parents and coaching centres have also come under the scanner of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in its ongoing probe into the alleged NEET UG 2026 paper leak.

The investigators have reportedly turned their attention to parents, who are being suspected of purchasing leaked question papers for their children, Moneycontrol has reported.

This new angle to the investigation has developed after multiple raids were carried out over the weekend in Maharashtra's Nanded and Latur districts. As per officials, these raids were conducted after the CBI received inputs that suggested that some families had allegedly paid large sums for access to the National Eligibility--Entrance Test (NEET) question papers before the examination date i.e. May 3, 2026.

Also Read: Why NEET 2026 was cancelled despite paper leak allegations in previous years

As per the latest media report by Moneycontrol, a team of eight CBI officers conducted raids at several locations, which also included a residence in the Vidyut Nagar area of Nanded district. The investigators reportedly questioned the parents of a NEET aspirant for more than eight hours and also examined electronic gadgets, documents, phone records, and messages exchanged among family members.

The investigators are reportedly suspecting that wealthy parents were also part of the wider network and they may have paid intermediaries for securing medical admissions for their children using the leaked examination material.

According to the officials, in one of the cases from Nanded, a student's father, who is a businessman by profession, allegedly paid around Rs 10 lakh for gaining access to the leaked paper. Investigators believe that among the Rs 10 lakh, Rs 5 lakh was allegedly handed to a middleman, while another Rs 5 lakh was paid to a separate individual involved in the arrangement.

Involvement of Coaching Centres: 

Apart from the suspected involvement of parents of NEET aspirants, the agency is also looking into the connection of the student with a Pune-based coaching institute, where she had reportedly stayed for around 15 days while preparing for the undergraduate medical entrance test.

Further, the investigators are also examining flex banners displayed by a private coaching institute, AIB, in Nanded, featurin the photographs of top-performing students. The tagline of the flex banners said "The Results To Come". According to the officials, the claims regarding the expected scores of the student are also being reviewed while the investigating officials are trying to find the link between the larger conspiracy.

However, in response to the development, AIB's Atul More has denied having any information regarding the CBI searches, adding, "Yes, she was my student and was repeating NEET this year. In our mock tests, she used to score around 400 to 450 marks." He further added that the student in question had not been associated with the institute for the past 15 days.

Meanwhile, officials have said that additional searches were being conducted at the homes of other parents in Nanded on Sunday. Following this, another CBI team went to Latur for further investigations.

It is being suspected by the investigating officials that some of the parents, who allegedly obtained the leaked papers, may have shared them with others to recover part of the money they spent. According to the investigating agency, the operation operated through a well-organised network spread across Pune, Latur, Nanded and nearby areas.

According to report, some of the parents of the aspirants allegedly paid amounts ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh for getting access to the leaked question papers. Already, the CBI has detained several accused linked to the case. The number of persons who have been arrested includes alleged masterminds, intermediaries, and paper solvers. 

Commenting on the matter, the officials added that the investigation is now focused on tracking financial transactions and identifying candidates and families who may have knowingly benefited from the leaked exam material.

According to senior officials, more raids are being expected in the coming days as the investigation continues. The investigating officials are also checking to find similar transactions in other districts and if more candidates gained access to the leaked papers.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported how the NEET paper leak resulted in the cancellation of the NEET UG 2026 exam held on May 3 for more than 22 lakh candidates.