The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested five accused and carried out searches at multiple locations across the country in connection with alleged irregularities and a paper leak linked to the NEET UG 2026 examination, a case that has already led to the cancellation of the test affecting nearly 23 lakh candidates.
Case Registered After Education Ministry Complaint
The case was registered on Tuesday after the Department of Higher Education under the Union education ministry submitted a written complaint regarding alleged irregularities and leakage of the medical entrance examination paper conducted on May 3.
The CBI said the FIR has been filed under provisions related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust and other relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examinations Prevention of Unfair Means Act, 2024. The agency said it has so far arrested five accused, including three from Jaipur, one from Gurugram and one from Nashik, while several other suspects are being questioned as part of the continuing investigation.
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Investigators Trace Leak Trail Across States
The CBI said searches were conducted at several locations as investigators tried to trace the wider network allegedly involved in the leak and circulation of exam related material. The investigators have linked the suspected leak trail to a printing agency in Jaipur and to coaching networks spread across Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Bihar and Kerala.
According to officials, the suspected leaked content circulated in the form of a PDF document allegedly containing around 410 questions. Investigators are examining claims that nearly 140 of those questions, including around 120 chemistry questions, matched those that later appeared in the final NEET paper.
Officials are also probing whether the paper first leaked from a Jaipur based printing agency before reaching a coaching institute in Nashik and then spreading across multiple states. The first whistleblower inputs are reported to have reached the National Testing Agency on May 7, four days after the examination was held. Officials later found that the PDF containing suspected leaked questions had been present on some mobile phones before the exam dates.
NTA Cancels Exam, Fresh Test to Follow
The development came a day after the National Testing Agency cancelled NEET UG 2026 after findings showed that several questions appearing similar to those in the actual exam paper had allegedly circulated before the test. This is the first time the entire NEET UG examination has been scrapped since the NTA took over the exam in 2019.
NTA Director General Abhishek Singh said that while the entire paper was not leaked, the appearance of even a single matching question compromised the integrity of the examination process. He said that even one match would violate the agency’s commitment to zero tolerance and zero error and compromise the entire process.
The CBI has also invoked provisions related to theft and destruction of evidence as part of the investigation. The NTA has said a fresh NEET UG examination will be held on dates to be announced separately. Candidates will not have to register again or pay fresh fees, and their earlier examination centre choices will be carried forward.
About the author – Ayesha Aayat is a law student and contributor covering cybercrime, online frauds, and digital safety concerns. Her writing aims to raise awareness about evolving cyber threats and legal responses.
