New Delhi : In a major breakthrough in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, investigators have made multiple arrests across the country — from Nashik to Dehradun to Rajgir — uncovering a well-organised multi-state network of at least 45 persons spanning Maharashtra, Kerala, Haryana, Bihar, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.
A medical student from Maharashtra’s Nashik has been arrested in connection with the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. The student, identified as Shubham Khairnar, a bachelor of medical sciences student in Bhopal, allegedly obtained a physical copy of the ‘guess’ paper in Nashik a few days before the May 3 exam and forwarded a soft copy to a person in Haryana.
A medical student from Maharashtra’s Nashik has been arrested in connection with the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. The student, identified as Shubham Khairnar, a bachelor of medical sciences student in Bhopal, allegedly obtained a physical copy of the ‘guess’ paper in Nashik a few days before the May 3 exam and forwarded a soft copy to a person in Haryana.”
A request from Rajasthan Police was received this morning for taking an individual into custody. Accordingly, Nashik police Crime Branch Unit 2 has nabbed a person,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Kirankumar Chauhan. A team of Rajasthan Police will arrive in the city to take his custody.
“The person driving, who claimed to be an MBBS student, had a stack of cash inside his car. Upon checking their mobile phones, we found multiple admit cards. Three people have been arrested,” Singh said. The arrests came as police were on high alert following intelligence inputs. The Rajasthan Police SOG arrested five persons from Dehradun, including the alleged mastermind, Sikar-based career counsellor Rakesh Kumar, on May 7. Four NEET aspirants were arrested the following day.
A counsellor from a coaching centre in Sikar was also detained for allegedly paying Rs 5 lakh to buy the ‘guess’ paper and selling it to NEET aspirants through WhatsApp. The handwritten ‘guess’ paper matched 120 of the 150 questions for biology and chemistry from the original paper. A senior SOG official said the investigation has revealed a well-organised nation-wide network with paper solvers to impersonators.
The SOG has so far interrogated 13 suspects from Dehradun, Sikar and Jhunjhunu in connection with the case. The National Testing Agency on Tuesday cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination, affecting over 22 lakh candidates. The Union Government has referred the matter to the CBI for a comprehensive inquiry. The NTA said the decision was taken “in the interest of maintaining transparency and preserving trust in the national examination system.”
The CBI has filed an FIR regarding alleged irregularities and paper leak in the conduct of NEET-UG 2026 exam for offences including criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, theft, destruction of evidence under BNS, offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and offences under the Public Examination Prevention of Unfair Means Act 2024.
The complaint states that the NTA received input regarding unauthorised circulation of documents pertaining to the NEET-UG 2026 Examination prior to its conduct on May 3. “The allegations indicate a possible compromise of the sanctity and integrity of the examination process,” the CBI said.
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