NEET-UG paper leak: Maharashtra student arrested paid ₹10L for paper
What's the story
A student from Nashik, Maharashtra, has been arrested in connection with the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2026 paper leak case. The accused, Shubham Khairnar, was initially detained by the Nashik Crime Branch and then handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He allegedly bought a "guess paper" for ₹10 lakh from a suspect in Pune and sold it for ₹15 lakh to a buyer in Haryana, India Today reported.
Leak details
'Guess paper' sold to PG hostels, coaching centers
He allegedly forwarded the soft copy to someone in Gurugram, Haryana, from where it was sent to several cities in Rajasthan, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Bihar, among others. "The night before the exam, the paper reached....almost every student's WhatsApp, making it difficult for us to segregate who received it and who didn't," a probe officer said. The "guess paper" allegedly contained 410 questions with answers and matched 120 of the original NEET exam's biology and chemistry questions.
Exam controversy
NEET-UG 2026 held on May 3
Rajasthan Police have also detained a counselor from a Sikar coaching center who allegedly paid ₹5 lakh for the guess paper and sold it through WhatsApp. The NEET-UG 2026 was held on May 3, with around 22 lakh students appearing for the exam. However, it was canceled on Tuesday due to the controversy. The National Testing Agency (NTA) confirmed that inputs about malpractice were received on May 7 and escalated to central agencies by May 8 for verification and action.
Investigation progress
SOG probe suspects
Some students and a coaching center staff from Sikar approached NTA with complaints about possible leaks four days after the exam. As part of their investigation, the Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG) tracked down Khairnar, who was in direct communication with the suspected gang that leaked the main paper, as well as middlemen who bought the paper from one another and distributed it further.
Official statement
New way of leaking paper
"This is....new way of leaking a paper. So far, we have seen that the paper leak mafia take money from the candidates, solve the paper, meet them in person, and make them memorize the paper. But this time, the gang...prepared a handwritten 410-question 'guess paper' including 120 questions from the actual paper, and sold it to a person who further circulated it," said the officer. "So far, we found Khairnar who received the handwritten physical copy of the paper."
States
Over 20 people questioned
The SOG is now probing coaching centers in Jaipur, Sikar and Kota as part of its investigation. They are also looking into a WhatsApp group called "Private Mafia," from which the guess paper was sold to many students. Over 20 people have been questioned so far in connection with this case.