CBI arrests Latur paediatrician for allegedly buying NEET 2026 leaked paper

Mumbai: A Latur-based paediatrician has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the alleged NEET UG 2026 paper leak case for reportedly purchasing leaked examination questions for his son ahead of the medical entrance examination on May 3. The doctor is the first parent to be arrested and taken into custody.

According to the agency, the doctor allegedly obtained the leaked paper from the arrested director and founder of the Coaching Institute in Latur, before the NEET-UG examination. He is reported to be among several parents who allegedly paid money to gain access to the examination paper in advance.

Medical Dialogues had reported that the CBI arrested the director and owner of a Coaching Institute in Latur in connection with the case. The accused is widely known as “M Sir” in Maharashtra’s coaching circles and is a prominent name in the state’s NEET and JEE coaching industry. A chemistry teacher from Latur, he built Classes into one of Maharashtra’s largest coaching brands.

He was once praised for raising a voice on behalf of the students during the paper leak controversy in 2024, but has now become one of the accused, reportedly involved with the leak this year. He built one of the largest medical/engineering entrance (NEET/JEE) coaching networks in the state but became a central figure in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the NEET-UG paper leak scandal.

Also read- Latur coaching institute sealed after CBI arrests 'M Sir' in NEET 2026 paper leak case

The recent arrest of the doctor has shifted the focus of the probe beyond coaching institutes, intermediaries, teachers and students, with investigators now examining the role of parents who may have benefited from the leaked material.

The CBI probe revealed that several influential parents allegedly paid between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh to retired chemistry professor Kulkarni and the coaching institute director to obtain the examination paper in advance, and the arrested doctor is among them.

During the probe, the agency reportedly found similarities between questions circulated through the institute's classes and those that appeared in the actual examination. According to investigators, 43 out of 45 Chemistry questions in the final NEET-UG 2026 paper allegedly matched questions that had been shared earlier as part of the institute's "guess paper", reports TNIE

The CBI is also examining a viral video in which the director allegedly told faculty members that questions discussed during mock tests conducted days before the examination appeared in the final paper without any changes in format or numbering.

The CBI alleged that the director conducted special night classes for selected students in Latur, where handwritten question papers and answer sheets were distributed for practice. Investigators are also probing the money trail, communication records, and financial transactions linked to the alleged paper-leak network.

Maharashtra Emerges as a Major Hub of Paper Leak

The investigators have found that the leaked question papers were allegedly sold through a well-organised network operating across multiple states, and Maharashtra has emerged as the main hub, as the highest number of leaked question papers were allegedly purchased and circulated in the state.

After Maharashtra, Rajasthan emerged as another hotspot in the investigation. According to investigators, students and parents in the state were allegedly offered access to the question paper in exchange for large sums of money. Agencies suspect that coaching centres and major coaching hubs in Rajasthan may have been specifically targeted by the racket.

News 18 has reported that sources linked to the investigation claim that the leaked papers were circulated in at least five states through a carefully planned network. Agencies now believe the operation was not run by a single gang but by an organised syndicate operating across several states.

It has been reported that the candidates were generally not contacted directly. Instead, the gangs reportedly relied on local middlemen to coordinate the operation. The middlemen allegedly coordinated the operation and arranged meetings at secret locations.

On the night before the examination, students were reportedly gathered at hotels, farmhouses and other secluded venues where they were given access to the leaked material.

Mobile phones were collected from candidates to prevent information from being shared outside the group while answers were reportedly memorised using coded language and codewords.

Also read- CBI arrests Latur's coaching centre owner in NEET paper leak case