NEET UG paper leak case: CBI arrests five accused, raids multiple locations | India News
New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested five accused persons and conducted searches at various locations across the country for alleged irregularities and a paper leak related to the NEET UG-2026 examination.The case was registered on Tuesday following a written complaint by the Department of Higher Education under the Union Education Ministry regarding irregularities and leaks in the medical entrance examination question paper held on May 3.According to the CBI, the FIR has been registered on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code (BNS), Prevention of Corruption Act and Public Examinations (Prevention of Misappropriation) Act, 2024.So far, the agency has arrested five accused: three from Jaipur, one from Gurugram and one from Nashik. Other suspects are currently being questioned as part of the ongoing investigation.The CBI said searches were conducted at multiple locations across the country as investigators tried to unearth the wide-ranging network involved in the leak and circulation of test-related material.The development comes a day after the National Testing Agency (NTA) canceled the NEET-UG 2026 after several questions similar to the actual exam question papers were allegedly circulated ahead of the exam.The cancellation affects around 23 lakh candidates and marks the first time the entire NEET-UG exam has been canceled since the NTA exam was conducted in 2019.Investigators have linked the alleged leak to a printing agency in Jaipur and coaching networks spread across Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Bihar and Kerala.According to officials, the suspected leaked material was circulated in the form of a PDF document which allegedly contains around 410 questions. Investigators are checking claims that around 140 questions, including around 120 from Chemistry, matched those appearing in the final NEET paper.NTA Director General Abhishek Singh said that even if the entire paper was not leaked, the presence of even a single matching question compromised the integrity of the examination process.“So, I would not say that the entire paper is leaked. But I must say that if even one question matches our question paper, then our commitment to zero tolerance and zero errors is violated, and our entire process is compromised,” Singh said.The first whistleblower input reached the NTA on May 7, four days after the test. Officials later found that some mobile phones were carrying suspicious question leaked PDFs before the exam date.Investigators suspect that the paper may have first leaked from a Jaipur-based printing agency before reaching a coaching institute in Nashik and subsequently spread to multiple states.The CBI has also invoked provisions relating to theft and destruction of evidence as part of investigations.NTA said that a fresh NEET-UG examination will be conducted on dates to be announced separately. Candidates need not re-register or pay fresh fees and previous exam center preferences will be carried forward.
