The CBI on Wednesday arrested five persons and conducted raids across multiple states, including Rajasthan, Bihar, Delhi, Kerala, Haryana and Jharkhand, in connection with the alleged irregularities that led to the cancellation of the undergraduate NEET medical entrance exam.
The CBI is also questioning officials of the National Testing Agency (NTA) who were responsible for conducting the exam securely. Sources said the investigators were probing whether there was any insider involvement at the exam centres or within the printing and transportation systems.
“The five arrested accused are Shubham Khairnar from Nashik, Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal from Jaipur and Yash Yadav from Gurgaon. Several other suspects are currently being examined and further searches are being conducted to uncover the larger conspiracy,” a CBI spokesperson said.
The CBI on Tuesday registered a case based on a written complaint by the department of higher education under the ministry of education, invoking BNS charges dealing with criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal breach of trust, and also charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act.
Nearly 23 lakh candidates took the NEET UG-2026, conducted on May 3 across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad.
Preliminary information from the Rajasthan police investigation suggests a 150-page PDF document that appeared to be a question bank and contained 410 questions had allegedly been circulating for at least a month before the exam. Investigators found that 120 of those 410 questions also appeared in the NEET-UG 2026 exam.
Investigators have received information that the so-called “guess paper” was allegedly sold for amounts ranging from ₹30 lakh to ₹50 lakh.
“After conducting nationwide searches, we have seized incriminating materials and electronic devices, including mobile phones. The sleuths are also collaborating with Rajasthan’s Special Operations Group (SOG), which had initiated a preliminary inquiry,” a CBI official said.
The “guess paper” has been traced to a student from Rajasthan’s Sikar pursuing MBBS in Kerala who allegedly shared the document with his friends and a hostel owner, a senior official of the desert state’s SOG said.
The document subsequently reached students of several coaching institutes and later some candidates in Jaipur and nearby areas who were to take the May 3 exam, SOG inspector-general Ajay Pal Lamba said.
Another official said the hostel owner in Sikar shared the guess paper with some residents, saying it could be helpful. However, the hostel owner himself later tipped off the local police about the paper.
Officials said the material was allegedly routed through a person based in Gurgaon before reaching Rajasthan.
Joint teams of police from Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Alwar, Jaipur City and Jaipur Rural, and the SOG, questioned more than 150 candidates, along with their friends and parents.
“The investigation revealed that the paper had allegedly reached certain individuals in Rajasthan before the commencement of the exam,” an official said.
Lamba said the findings were shared with the NTA, following which the Centre decided to cancel the NEET. The case was later taken over by the CBI.
More than two dozen suspects have been handed over to the CBI, officials said, adding that further action would depend on evidence emerging during the investigation.
The police said most of the individuals questioned were either NEET aspirants or directly connected to candidates who appeared in the exam.
Investigators have found that the circulated PDF file contained around 45 chemistry questions and 90 biology questions along with answers. These questions allegedly matched those in the actual exam paper.
A woman has been detained by Pune police for her alleged connection to the NEET fiasco and handed over to the CBI, a senior official said on Wednesday.