The CBI has arrested five people and carried out searches at several locations across the country as part of its probe into the alleged NEET-UG paper leak case, officials said on May 13.
Those arrested include Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal from Jaipur, Yash Yadav from Gurugram, and Shubham Khairnar from Nashik. Officials said several other suspects are being questioned in different cities, and more arrests could follow.
Khairnar, 30, is being brought to Delhi after a Nashik court granted the CBI transit remand. He was earlier detained by Nashik Police on the request of Rajasthan Police.
The agency, which formally took over the investigation on May 12, has launched searches at multiple places based on fresh leads. During the raids, officials seized mobile phones, laptops and other digital devices that will undergo forensic examination to track communication channels allegedly used to circulate the leaked question paper.
Sources said the CBI is working closely with Rajasthan Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG), which had conducted the initial inquiry into the matter.
Officials said the agency is following all possible leads using technical and forensic analysis to ensure a thorough and impartial investigation.
A CBI team also visited the headquarters of the National Testing Agency (NTA) on May 13 to collect documents linked to the NEET-UG exam, which was cancelled amid allegations of a paper leak. The team also questioned officials associated with the examination process.
The CBI had registered an FIR after taking over the probe into the alleged irregularities in the May 3 examination.
NEET-UG 2026 was conducted in 551 cities across India and at 14 international centres, with nearly 23 lakh candidates appearing for the exam organised by the NTA.
According to the NTA, information regarding suspected malpractice surfaced on the evening of May 7, four days after the exam, and was subsequently shared with central agencies for verification and further action.
The Rajasthan Police’s SOG has claimed that a chemistry “guess paper” circulated before the examination contained nearly 410 questions, of which around 120 reportedly matched questions asked in the actual test.
