CBI NEET 2026 paper leak probe: Aspirants allegedly paid Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for access, say sources
New Delhi: The CBI which is probing the alleged NEET 2026 paper leak case, has reportedly uncovered fresh details suggesting that the leaked question paper was circulated in Rajasthan after being converted into PDF files and allegedly sold to students for amounts ranging between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh.
Speaking to ANI, the sources informed that the investigation has revealed that the hard copy of the NEET-UG question paper was allegedly handwritten, scanned and converted into digital PDF documents before being circulated among students preparing for the examination in Rajasthan’s Sikar district. The agency is also probing the money trail, the chain of circulation and the role of coaching-linked networks in the alleged leak racket.
According to ANI, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, has found that the leaked question paper had allegedly reached Rajasthan through an accused identified as Yadav, while students were allegedly charged between two lakh rupees and five lakh rupees for access to the paper, sources said.
According to sources, Yadav was acquainted with another accused. The investigation has revealed that the other accused man's father, allegedly scanned the hard copy of the NEET-UG question paper and converted it into PDF files.
Sources further informed ANI that the accused had allegedly handwritten the question paper before scanning and circulating it among students studying at coaching centres in Rajasthan's Sikar district.
The accused arrested in the case were produced before a Magistrate at his residence in Jaipur late on Wednesday night. The investigative agency brought the accused for judicial proceedings amid tight security.
The CBI has also questioned coaching institute owners and staff members as part of the investigation.
According to sources, several students have told investigators that they allegedly paid amounts ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for access to the leaked paper.
Sources further said that Yadav himself did not clear the examination and is a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medical Sciences graduate.
Meanwhile, accused other BAMS student has denied allegations that he was the mastermind behind the paper leak.
The CBI is currently probing the source of the leak, the chain through which the question paper reached the accused, and how it was subsequently circulated among students preparing for the examination.
Statements of students as well as accused persons are being recorded, while investigators are also verifying the money trail linked to the alleged leak network.
The CBI had earlier registered a case on May 12 based on a written complaint received from the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education regarding alleged irregularities and a paper leak in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2026 examination.
The Centre cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination conducted on May 3 and announced that the country's biggest undergraduate medical entrance test will be re-conducted on dates to be notified separately.
Following the incident, Bihar Police on Wednesday also busted a gang allegedly involved in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case. Rajgir DSP Sunil Kumar Singh confirmed the seizure of several mobile phones and laptops containing incriminating digital evidence.
According to the police, recovered chats from the devices reveal a clear "money transaction trail" and have identified several medical college students suspected of being part of the syndicate.
"...we have seized mobile phones that have chats on them, and laptops. The chats reveal the money transaction trail. It also has information about students of other medical colleges...we have not found any question paper or guess paper on the phones..." Singh told ANI.
Also Read:CBI detains 30-year-old BAMS student from Nashik in NEET 2026 paper leak case
NEET 2026 cancelled:
The National Testing Agency (NTA) on May 12, 2026, declared the cancellation of the examination held on May 3 and subsequently announced that a re-exam will be held on dates that will be notified separately.
NTA further informed that the Government of India decided to refer the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a comprehensive inquiry into the allegations after it declared to re-conduct the NEET UG 2026 examination soon. Based on the centre's direction, the CBI registered an FIR in the case.
This comes in the backdrop of the probe by the Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group, which reportedly found a “guess paper” containing more than 100 questions similar to those asked in the NEET UG examination. The question paper series under scrutiny has been described as a “guess paper” which reportedly contained around 410 questions. Out of these, nearly 120 questions are alleged to have appeared in the Biology and Chemistry sections of the examination.
The investigation has found that the leaked papers were circulated through WhatsApp and Telegram groups ahead of the NEET UG 2026 examination held on May 3. According to reports, the matter came to light after a Sikar-based MBBS student studying at a medical college in Kerala allegedly shared a PDF of a “guess paper” with his father on May 2. The father, who runs a PG accommodation facility in Sikar, reportedly circulated the document further to a chemistry and a biology teacher who identified the similarities in questions.
As the investigation widened, Rajasthan SOG and later the CBI uncovered what officials described as a multi-state network involving students, coaching-linked persons and middlemen. The alleged leak reportedly spread from Kerala and Rajasthan to Haryana, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and other states. So far, around 15 to 16 people have been arrested or taken into custody in connection with the case, while nearly 45 people have been detained or questioned during the investigation.
Seeking action, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) filed a petition before the Supreme Court demanding the replacement of NTA. It urged the Apex Court to issue a direction to the Centre to either replace NTA or fundamentally restructure it "with a more robust, technologically advanced and autonomous body for conducting NEET.
The issue also led to massive protests and condemnation by the medical fraternity, who blamed the NTA and the government for failing to prevent another paper leak controversy in 2026. They have criticised the authorities for playing with the future of over 22 lakh aspirants who appeared for the exam and are again forced to re-appear.
Also read- NEET 2026 row: Doctors' body urges PM Modi to dissolve NTA, NMC
