NEET-UG 2026 Paper Leak: Rs 30 Lakh Deal, Multi-State Network Exposed After Exam Cancellation

The alleged leak of the NEET-UG 2026 question paper has triggered one of the biggest examination scandals in recent years, with investigators uncovering a multi-state network that reportedly sold the paper for Rs 30 lakh nearly a week before the medical entrance examination was conducted.

According to investigators, the leak trail began on April 26, when two brothers from Rajasthan’s Jamwa Ramgarh — Mangilal and Dinesh Biwal — allegedly obtained the NEET paper from a doctor based in Gurugram. The doctor has now emerged as a key figure in the ongoing probe led by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group (SOG).

Authorities claim the brothers paid nearly Rs 30 lakh for the paper before circulating it through personal and coaching-linked networks. One of the brothers allegedly first shared the paper with his son, who was preparing for NEET in Sikar, a major coaching hub in Rajasthan.

Within days, the paper reportedly entered a larger distribution chain involving middlemen, students, hostel operators, and counselling agents. Investigators allege that Rakesh Kumar Mandawariya, an MBBS counselling agent operating near coaching institutes in Sikar, purchased the leaked paper and further distributed it to candidates across multiple states.

The leak allegedly spread rapidly through WhatsApp and Telegram groups, eventually reaching more than 700 students in Rajasthan, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Haryana, and Uttarakhand. The paper was reportedly sold both digitally and in printed form.

A key breakthrough in the investigation came after a student studying MBBS in Kerala allegedly forwarded the paper to his father, who operated a postgraduate hostel in Sikar. The message reportedly instructed him to distribute the material to hostel residents, claiming it would appear in the next day’s examination. After students noticed similarities between the circulated questions and the actual exam, suspicions intensified.

Investigators are now probing a possible printing press link in Nashik, where authorities detained a suspect believed to be connected to the leak chain. Rajasthan Police sources suspect the paper may have moved from a Nashik printing facility through Haryana before reaching the Biwal brothers in Jamwa Ramgarh.

The investigation has also revealed that some accused allegedly knew weeks in advance that the paper would be leaked. One of the brothers is reportedly linked to a political party, while several members of their extended family had cleared NEET in previous years, further deepening suspicion.

Following nationwide outrage, the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the May 3 examination and said fresh dates would be announced within seven to ten days. The CBI has registered an FIR under provisions related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, destruction of evidence, the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the Public Examination Prevention of Unfair Means Act, 2024.

Students and parents across the country have sharply criticised the handling of the examination process, with many demanding that All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi be entrusted with conducting future NEET examinations to restore public confidence in the system.