CBI Probes NEET Leak Money Trail; Students Paid Up to Rs 5 Lakh
Sources said the accused allegedly handwritten the question paper before scanning and circulating it among students studying at coaching centres in Rajasthan’s Sikar district
New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, has found that the leaked question paper allegedly reached Rajasthan through accused Yash Yadav. Sources said students were charged between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh for access to the paper.
According to sources, Yash Yadav was acquainted with another accused, Vikas Biwal. Investigators revealed that Vikas Biwal’s father, Dinesh Biwal, allegedly scanned the hard copy of the NEET-UG question paper and converted it into PDF files.
Sources said the accused allegedly handwritten the question paper before scanning and circulating it among students studying at coaching centres in Rajasthan’s Sikar district.
The accused arrested in the case were produced before a Magistrate at his residence in Jaipur late Wednesday night amid tight security. The CBI has also questioned coaching institute owners and staff members as part of the probe.
Several students told investigators they allegedly paid between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh for access to the leaked paper. Sources further said Yash Yadav himself did not clear the examination and is a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medical Sciences graduate.
Meanwhile, accused Shubham denied allegations that he was the mastermind behind the leak. The CBI is investigating the source of the leak, the chain through which the paper was circulated, and the money trail linked to the alleged network.
The CBI had registered a case on May 12 following a complaint from the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education regarding alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2026 examination.
The Centre later cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 exam held on May 3 and announced that the medical entrance test would be reconducted on dates to be announced separately.
Separately, Bihar Police also busted a gang allegedly linked to the paper leak case. Rajgir DSP Sunil Kumar Singh confirmed the seizure of mobile phones and laptops containing incriminating digital evidence.
Police said recovered chats revealed a “money transaction trail” and identified several medical college students suspected of being part of the syndicate. However, no question paper or guess paper was recovered from the devices.
According to the National Testing Agency (NTA), 22.79 lakh students appeared for the NEET examination conducted on May 3 across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad at more than 5,400 centres.