New Delhi: The prime suspect in the 2026 National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (UG), or NEET (UG), leak bought the ‘guess paper’ in physical form from a Pune-based associate for Rs 10 lakh, ThePrint has learnt.
After getting the physical copy of the paper, the accused, identified as Shubham Khairnar, converted it into a PDF to share it in exchange for money, a source privy to the preliminary probe conducted by the police.
“He got the guess paper in physical format via courier from one of his associates and passed the paper to an accused in Gurugram, Haryana, for Rs 15 lakh in PDF format over WhatsApp,” the source told ThePrint.
Guess papers consist of sets of important questions meant to aid study, often used for competitive exams, designed for last-minute revision based on past trends.
Sources in the Maharashtra police identified Khairnar as a third-year student of Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) in Bhopal. “He runs an educational consultancy firm named S R Consultancy with offices in Nashik as well as one in Bhopal, according to details he shared,” the source added.
According to preliminary findings of the Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG) that initially probed the case, around 135 of the more than 400 questions in the “guess paper” also appeared in the question paper in the main examination attended by nearly 22 lakh aspirants on 3 May.
The Centre transferred the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which registered a case Tuesday evening under Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) dealing with offences amounting to criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, theft and destruction of evidence, as well as relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act.
“…The NTA (National Testing Agency) received a complaint and input regarding the reported circulation of some documents pertaining to the NEET (UG) – 2026 Examination, which were circulated unauthorised prior to the conduct of the examination…The allegations indicate a possible compromise of the sanctity and integrity of the examination process,” a CBI spokesperson said, adding that special teams have been formed and dispatched to various locations for investigation.
Extensive circle
The CBI took Khairnar into custody in Nashik, while a separate team questioned the two dozen suspects detained by the Rajasthan SOG.
Rajasthan Inspector General (SOG) Ajay Pal Lamba confirmed Nashik as the origin of the question paper leak. “Nashik has been found to be the origin of the questioning done so far. Further investigation will reveal more details,” Lamba said at a press briefing held late Tuesday evening.
“This is a paper set, which is in the public domain. PDFs of chemistry and biology papers are in the public domain. The question paper for the NEET examination is also in the public domain. The PDF, which was going viral, consisted of two sets: Chemistry and Biology. So, 45 Chemistry questions and 90 Biology questions were found to be a perfect match, along with their answers,” Lamba explained.
Police teams from several districts of Rajasthan had questioned nearly 150 NEET candidates and found that the paper had been leaked in the state by a Haryana-based man.
“This information was shared with the NTA, and the Government of India cancelled the examination and recommended the CBI probe. The CBI team is in touch with the SOG, and they have questioned the suspects whose active role has surfaced in the probe conducted so far,” he said.
The IG further said that the first leads emerged in Sikar district, when it was found that an MBBS student from Sikar in Kerala had received the paper from a Sikar resident.
The sources said that the Sikar man, identified as Rakesh Mandawariya, is a key man in establishing the chain of the paper leak in Rajasthan.
“Mandawariya runs a consultancy firm, and he had sent the PDF to his friend in Kerala, from where it reached the question paper to students living in a hostel in Sikar, from where it reached aspirants in Jaipur,” a police officer said, adding that he was detained in Dehradun on 9 May.
Meanwhile, Lamba said that the paper reached Sikar through a Gurugram man and that a majority of the suspects detained by the Rajasthan SOG were either aspirants themselves or their family members.
At least two dozen people were detained by the SOG for questioning, the sources said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: What we know about NEET (UG) ‘leak’—PDF that got 120 of 180 questions right, Nashik student detained