CBI arrests two more accused in NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two more accused in connection with the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, taking the total number of arrests in the investigation to seven.

The two accused arrested in the latest round of action were identified as Dhananjay Lokhanda from Ahilyanagar and Manisha Waghmare from Pune, according to ANI. 

The agency said the arrests were made during a fresh round of operations carried out by special CBI teams investigating alleged irregularities linked to the medical entrance examination. Searches were also conducted at 14 locations across the country in the last 24 hours.

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The CBI had registered the case on 12 May 2026 based on a complaint filed by the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education regarding the alleged leak of the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper.

Earlier arrests in Jaipur, Gurugram and Nashik

Before the latest arrests, the CBI had already arrested five people in the case. They were identified as Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal from Jaipur, Yash Yadav from Gurugram and Shubham Khairnar from Nashik.

Officials said four of the accused were produced before a magistrate in Jaipur before being taken to New Delhi on a one-day transit remand.

Khairnar, who was arrested on May 12, is also being brought to New Delhi for questioning after a Mumbai magistrate court granted the agency a two-day transit remand.

“All the Five accused arrested yesterday, were produced before the competent Court in Delhi today and have been remanded to 07 Days Police Custody for interrogation,” the CBI said in its statement.

The agency added that several other suspects are being questioned in different cities and further arrests may follow.  

NEET-UG 2026 cancelled after leak row 

The development comes after the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination following a massive controversy over the alleged leak of the question paper days before the exam held on May 3.

The controversy has triggered widespread concern over examination security and institutional safeguards, leading to demands for stricter monitoring systems and stronger action against those involved.

How the alleged leak began 

Investigators believe the leak trail began with a WhatsApp message sent on the evening of May 2, just hours before the examination.

A Kerala-based MBBS student allegedly sent 300 “guess paper” questions to his father’s mobile phone in Rajasthan’s Sikar district, along with the message: “My friend from Sikar sent these to me. Please give them to the girls in your hostel. These are the questions that will come tomorrow.”

The father, who worked at a PG hostel, reportedly distributed the papers to students the following morning without verifying them.

Suspicion emerged only after the examination. The hostel operator later approached a teacher at a nearby coaching institute to check how many questions had matched the actual NEET paper.

Numbers that raised suspicion

Investigators said the findings were significant.

All 90 Biology questions from the NEET examination were allegedly found within a 200-question Biology guess paper. Similarly, all 45 Chemistry questions reportedly appeared within an 81-question Chemistry guess paper.

Officials also found that after 36 unrelated questions, all 45 Chemistry questions appeared in one uninterrupted sequence, with no change in punctuation, commas or full stops.

In total, investigators believe 135 out of 180 NEET questions were allegedly present in the circulated guess papers.

Rajasthan Police and NTA alerted

The PG hostel operator first approached Rajasthan Police at the Udyog Nagar police station in Sikar. According to his account, he was reportedly told: “Don't spread rumours.”

He later contacted the National Testing Agency (NTA) directly. The matter was then referred to the Central Intelligence Bureau, which alerted Rajasthan Police. The Rajasthan State Special Operations Group (SOG) subsequently launched an investigation and detained around 15 people, including the hostel operator.

Where investigators believe the leak may have originated

Initial findings suggest the breach may not have originated from the NTA’s internal system.

Investigators suspect the leak may have come either from the Jaipur-based printing press where the paper was printed or from someone involved in preparing the examination paper.

Evidence collected so far reportedly indicates that the guess paper had reached a counsellor’s mobile phone by April 29, four days before the examination.

The papers are believed to have circulated across Jaipur, Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Nagaur, Dehradun and Kerala. During the early stages, the papers were allegedly being sold for as much as ₹30 lakh.

Detentions and ongoing investigation

Around 15 people from Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Nagaur and Dehradun have reportedly been detained in connection with the alleged procurement and circulation of the papers.

Among them is counsellor Rakesh Kumar Mandawariya from Sikar, who is accused of sending the papers to the Kerala MBBS student. Avinash Lamba and Manish Yadav from Jaipur have also reportedly been detained.

Officials said the investigation is ongoing and more arrests may follow in the coming days as agencies attempt to dismantle what they suspect is a wider organised network behind the alleged examination breach.