How did NEET 2026 'leaked paper' circulate? CBI probe finds

New Delhi: In a latest update in the NEET UG 2026 paper leak case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in its investigation found that the alleged leaked paper was handwritten, scanned, converted into PDF files and then circulated among students at coaching centres in Rajasthan's Sikar district for Rs 2 lakh rupees to Rs 5 lakh rupees for access.

The agency probing the incident revealed that an accused identified as Yadav was allegedly connected to another accused. During the investigation, the CBI found that the other accused man's father, Biwal, had allegedly scanned the hard copy of the NEET-UG question paper and converted it into PDF files before it was shared further.

According to sources, the accused had allegedly handwritten the question paper before scanning and circulating it among students studying at coaching centres in Rajasthan's Sikar district. Several students questioned by investigators reportedly admitted that they had paid between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh to get access to the leaked paper.

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, ANI has reported.

Investigators have said that the chain began with a hard copy of the question paper procured in Pune and circulated through couriers, WhatsApp groups and coaching networks in Rajasthan and Haryana.

Medical Dialogues had reported that the leak may have originated from a printing press in Nashik, Maharashtra. The paper was allegedly leaked from there and then passed through a chain network before reaching a doctor in Gurugram, Haryana. The paper travelled from the Nashik printing press to Rajasthan’s Sikar via Haryana and Jamwa Ramgarh. From Sikar, which is emerging as a major hub in the suspected interstate exam leak network, it then spread to Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Kerala and Uttarakhand.

The Gurugram doctor has become the key suspect in the case. From him, the paper allegedly reached two brothers from Rajasthan’s Jamwa Ramgarh. The police have arrested the brothers in connection with the case. They are accused of purchasing the NEET-UG paper on 26 April, nearly a week before the examination, for Rs 30 lakh.

After their arrest, it was reportedly revealed that they had known for nearly a month in advance that this year’s paper would be leaked. One of the brothers is also reportedly to have links with a political party. Sources further claimed that four children from their family had cleared the NEET last year.

As per TOI latest media report, four children from the Biwal family cleared NEET in 2025 and are studying in different medical colleges. The agency is currently investigating the family, as they have emerged as a key focus of the investigation. Sources said four children from the family cleared NEET in 2025 and are studying in different medical colleges.

It has been reported that the Bilwal's son had been preparing for NEET-UG this year in Sikar, while he had appeared for the exam last year but did not qualify. Officials suspect the father travelled to Sikar around April 29 and allegedly handed over the question set to his son after procuring it from a person. Investigators believe he shared the material with at least 10 people.

According to investigators, the leaked NEET-UG 2026 question paper first surfaced in Pune, where an Ayurveda practitioner allegedly received a hard copy of the paper. The probe revealed that the paper was later sent through courier to an accused identified as Khairnar in Nashik, who allegedly took photographs of the question paper and shared them with a contact based in Gurgaon.

Investigators further found that the leaked paper was then widely circulated through WhatsApp groups, Telegram channels, coaching centre networks and courier services across Rajasthan, Haryana and Maharashtra.

The CBI has also questioned coaching institute owners and staff members as part of the investigation. Sources further said that Vikas himself did not clear the examination and is a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medical Sciences graduate.

Meanwhile, the accused Shubham 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.

Recently, the Nalanda Police busted an organised NEET 'solver gang' and arrested a second-year MBBS student along with two others. The arrested individuals were allegedly part of a “solver gang” that helped candidates appear for exams in place of the original applicants. Their main motive was reportedly to earn money by providing proxy examinees for NEET and other competitive examinations.

For this, the group would collect large sums from aspirants, use forged admit cards and arrange proxies to enter the examination. The three accused were arrested after being found with a large amount of cash, fake admit cards, and digital evidence linked to the racket. The arrests took place during a high-alert vehicle checking drive conducted ahead of the now-cancelled NEET-UG 2026 exam.

NEET 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.

On its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the NTA posted, "In continuation of its press release dated 10 May 2026, the National Testing Agency wishes to inform candidates, parents, and members of the public of the following decisions taken in respect of NEET (UG) 2026. NTA had, on 8 May 2026, referred the matters then under consideration to the central agencies for independent verification and necessary action, consistent with its standing commitment to the fair, secure, and credible conduct of the national examinations entrusted to it. On the basis of the inputs subsequently examined by NTA in coordination with the central agencies, and the investigative findings shared by the law enforcement agencies and in order to ensure that there is transparency in the system, the National Testing Agency, with the approval of the Government of India, has decided to cancel the NEET (UG) 2026 examination conducted on 3 May 2026, and to re-conduct the examination on dates that will be notified separately."

Also Read: NEET 2026 cancelled, re-exam soon: NTA

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- Nalanda police bust NEET 'solver gang', MBBS student among 3 arrested