NEET 2026 paper leak: How CBI followed the digital trail from students to NTA subject experts
New Delhi: A WhatsApp message from a parent asking a chemistry NTA subject expert for his address to gift him a watch became one of the early clues that helped the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) uncover the alleged NEET UG 2026 paper leak.
The investigation, according to the CBI chargesheet, eventually moved through apartment entry records, WhatsApp groups, mobile phones, payment transactions, leaked PDFs, handwritten notes and statements of students and intermediaries.
The trail led investigators from students who allegedly received the leaked questions to middlemen in Rajasthan and Kerala and finally to subject experts who had access to the confidential NEET-UG question-setting process.
The NEET-UG 2026 examination was conducted on May 3 for over 20 lakh candidates. However, the examination was later cancelled following allegations that the question paper had been leaked before the test. A re-examination was conducted on June 21.
The CBI has so far chargesheeted 13 accused in the case.
Chemistry Teacher Raises the First Alarm
The paper leak first came to light when a chemistry teacher from Sikar noticed that a "guess paper" circulating among students had several questions that closely matched the actual NEET-UG 2026 question paper.
He alerted the National Testing Agency (NTA) through email and also approached the Rajasthan Police. He alleged that the paper was being sold for Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh in several states.
The Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group (SOG) began investigating the allegations. Following the SOG probe, the Union Ministry of Education lodged a complaint, after which the CBI registered a case on May 12.
The CBI then formed Special Investigation Teams to investigate the alleged leak and uncovered a multi-state conspiracy involving NTA subject experts, middlemen, and beneficiary candidates, culminating in a chargesheet against 13 accused, reports TOI.
The App Log Clue That Helped CBI Trace Students
The chargesheet revealed that Mygate app logs confirmed the presence of students in the apartment of the arrested accused Kulkarni, Chemistry NTA subject expert. The logs matched mobile logs, corroborating their location.
Though sworn to secrecy, he chose to share questions with students who paid to attend "special classes" he conducted in his apartment just before the exam, the agency said in the chargesheet. His greed put paid to measures that NTA had taken to plug vulnerabilities in the logistics chain that were exploited by an organised gang.
The CBI alleged that the security system did not anticipate the possibility of an NTA-appointed subject expert himself compromising the examination process.
According to the agency, Kulkarni and other paper setters allegedly used their access to the confidential question-setting process to memorise questions or mark them in books while working at the NTA office. They would then allegedly reproduce the questions later at a hotel and share them with other accused persons.
The CBI said the handwritten notes recovered during the investigation matched questions from the leaked NEET-UG paper. Investigators also found incriminating material on Kulkarni's seized mobile phone, including leaked papers that were already being circulated before the examination, along with communications with candidates, parents and other accused persons. The phone also contained nine images of the chemistry question paper and answer slips that allegedly matched the NEET-UG examination material.
The 'Special Class' WhatsApp Group
According to the chargesheet, Kulkarni created a WhatsApp group called "special class" on April 25. The CBI alleged that money for the questions was either collected directly by Kulkarni from parents or sent through co-accused Waghmare, a beautician.
Nine students allegedly attended his classes between April 25 and April 27. Three more candidates allegedly attended similar special classes in Latur.
The agency said eight students who joined the WhatsApp group created by him, along with his alleged scouts, later confirmed that the leaked paper had been shared with them.
Kulkarni even made an attempt to get the physics paper for students, but it was leaked by another paper setter, Havaldar. She was on NTA's panel to set the physics paper and also to translate the question paper from English to Marathi and vice versa. Despite an oath of confidentiality, she allegedly leaked physics questions to the mother of a candidate for Rs 25,000 at the insistence of another accused.
Eight days before the exam, Havaldar, the accused Physics subject expert, had handwritten notes of the leaked paper on her phone. She dictated the leaked paper to accused Shah for further circulation.
On April 14, Shah, a member of physics faculty and chief operating officer of Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy, noted down the leaked questions dictated by him.
How NEET-UG Leak Began
According to the chargesheet, NTA-appointed subject experts Kulkarni, Mandhare and Havaldar, reportedly had access to different portions of the examination paper. The agency alleged that they used different methods to retain the questions, including memorising them, making handwritten notes and marking corresponding portions in NCERT textbooks.
Kulkarni, who was involved in the back-translation of three question-paper sets containing 135 questions, allegedly memorised relatively easier questions while working inside the confidential section. After leaving the facility, he allegedly wrote down the questions at his hotel.
For difficult questions, the CBI alleged that he prepared short handwritten notes, or "chits", which could later be used to reconstruct the original questions.
Investigators also alleged that the lack of frisking of experts while entering or leaving the confidential section created an opportunity for such material to be taken out.
A similar method was allegedly used by biology expert Mandhare. While translating botany questions, she allegedly referred to NCERT textbooks and marked paragraphs corresponding to confidential questions. According to the CBI, these markings could later help recreate the questions without carrying the original examination material out of the facility.
The agency alleged that Mandhare, Havaldar and others subsequently pieced together the questions over several days, creating reconstructed versions of the leaked paper.
These reconstructed questions were then allegedly passed through a network of intermediaries and eventually reached candidates in Rajasthan and Kerala.
The Kerala Trail
One of the important branches of the investigation led the CBI to Mount Zion Medical College in Adoor, Kerala.
According to the CBI chargesheet, first-year MBBS student received PDFs containing the leaked NEET-UG question paper from his roommate, a resident of Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan and a former student of a Coaching Institute in Sikar. He allegedly received the material through his contacts in the Rajasthan network.
The CBI alleged that he later deleted the chats through which he had received the leaked papers. However, investigators continued to trace his connections and found that he knew a former classmate from the Coaching Institute.
The former classmate's younger brother was appearing for NEET-UG 2026. At around 10 pm on May 2, the former classmate allegedly received a call from a Saini, who contacted him through the reference of the cousin of the former student of the Coaching Institute. According to the chargesheet, he claimed he possessed the leaked NEET-UG paper and demanded Rs 40,000 for sharing it.
Acting on his instructions, he allegedly transferred Rs 30,000 to the former student of the Coaching Institute through a PhonePe transaction linked to Gramin Bank account. About an hour later, the former classmate's younger brother allegedly received nearly 450 solved question-and-answer PDFs from his brother, just hours before the examination.
The Sikar Network
The investigation also uncovered a parallel distribution network centred around Sikar. One of the leads came from the owner of an Educational Consultancy. According to the chargesheet, he told investigators that Choudhary approached him on April 30 and claimed that he could arrange the NEET-UG question paper in exchange for money.
On May 2, he allegedly returned with two PDF files containing nearly 500 questions. After an attempted Bluetooth/pen drive transfer failed, the files were received on the consultancy's office computer through WhatsApp.
The CBI alleged that Saini, an employee at the consultancy, subsequently forwarded the files to a student on the instructions of his colleague Kumar. Although Saini was allegedly told to delete the material, investigators claimed that he instead forwarded the PDFs to Sachin Dhangar.
The chargesheet also alleged that Meena met Biwal, who agreed to arrange the NEET-UG paper if enough candidates were brought together. On April 29, the latter allegedly shared soft copies of the questions and answers through Telegram and told Meena that printed copies would be delivered the following day.
Separately, 2 others allegedly approached a man on May 1 seeking study material. On his instructions, they allegedly went to a house in Jajod-Tikiriya village.
"Total six of them were there and they were provided hard copies of question answer sets of Physics, Chemistry and Biology containing about 500 questions by *** (cousin of *** Mawaliya). They remained there till 1300 hrs on 02.05.2026," the chargesheet said as quoted by NDTV.
The 'Fifa World Cup' WhatsApp Group
While analysing digital evidence, the CBI also examined a WhatsApp group named "Fifa world cup".
According to the chargesheet, the group helped investigators trace students who had allegedly bought or received leaked questions.
The agency combined WhatsApp information with mobile phone records and other evidence to establish links between candidates, intermediaries and people involved in distributing the alleged leaked paper.
The investigation gradually moved beyond the students and towards the people who had allegedly supplied them with the material.
The Jhunjhunu Car Trail
The investigation also uncovered a physical transfer of the alleged leaked papers. According to the chargesheet, on April 30, a black Hyundai Verna travelled on the Jhunjhunu bypass in Rajasthan carrying 11 printed sets of the alleged leaked NEET-UG question paper.
Waiting to receive them was Meena. The CBI alleged that he had travelled there after being told that the NEET paper could be obtained through contacts in Sikar.
The agency alleged that Biwals, the Sikar-based family investigators, have placed at the centre of the alleged leak network, arrived in the Verna and handed over printed sets covering Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
Meena allegedly did not make an immediate cash payment.
Instead, according to the chargesheet, he deposited the original Class X and Class XII marksheets of four candidates as security.
The alleged arrangement was that payment would have to be made only if more than 150 questions matched the actual examination.
Before this handover, Meena's friend Mawaliya allegedly collected the candidates' original marksheets from the flat of a student who is the son of Biwal, in Sikar.
How Amit Kumar Meena Was Linked to the Biwal Family
According to the CBI chargesheet, Meena told investigators that he had met the student while preparing for NEET in Sikar. He allegedly asked him to arrange Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh to obtain the NEET question paper. The chargesheet further alleged that he offered to provide the questions for free if Meena could arrange 10 to 12 candidates.
Meena allegedly sought help from his friend Mawaliya because of his poor financial condition.
The CBI alleged that on April 29, he shared soft copies of the questions and answers with Meena through Telegram and told him that printed copies would be delivered the following day.
The investigation also alleged that he himself scored only 107 marks out of 720 in NEET-UG 2026.
According to the CBI, 2 men approached Mawaliya on May 1 seeking study material.
On his instructions, they allegedly travelled to a house in Jajod-Tikiriya village. The chargesheet stated that six people were present there and were allegedly given hard copies containing Physics, Chemistry and Biology question-answer sets with about 500 questions. They allegedly remained at the location until 1 pm on May 2. This was another part of the physical distribution network traced by investigators.
