Before the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2026 paper leak unraveled, it was reportedly alerted to the National Testing Agency (NTA) by a whistleblower in one of the coaching centres in Rajasthan's Sikar.
According to investigators, the trail began with a "guess paper" quietly circulating through coaching circles, hostels, and WhatsApp groups days before the May 3 examination.
What initially appeared to be just another set of "important questions" has now led to a massive multi-State investigation spanning Nashik, Gurugram, Jaipur, and Sikar, eventually leading to the cancellation of the examination taken by nearly 22.79 lakh candidates across more than 5,400 centres in India and abroad. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has now taken over the probe.
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The whistleblower tip-off, the "guess paper" and the cancellation: How NEET-UG 2026 paper leak unraveled
In one lineNEET-UG 2026 exam cancelled after whistleblower exposed a paper leak involving 'guess papers' and multi-state networks.Key points• Whistleblower alertA whistleblower tipped off the NTA on 7 May about a leaked paper circulating as a 'guess paper' before the exam.• Paper leak originInvestigators suspect the leak may have originated in Nashik, Maharashtra, involving high-definition scanners and a shadow server.• Guess paper circulationThe leaked material was distributed as 'important questions' or 'VIP sets' through coaching networks and WhatsApp groups.• CBI investigationThe Central Bureau of Investigation took over the probe after Rajasthan SOG uncovered a multi-state network and arrested key suspects.• Exam cancellationThe NTA cancelled NEET-UG 2026 on 12 May after verifying the paper's integrity was compromised.Key statistics22.79 lakhNumber of candidates affected5,400Number of exam centres45 out of 108Matching questions in Chemistry90 out of 204Matching questions in Biology135Total matching questionsProcessed with AI. Reviewed by DH Digital Team.
Here is a detailed reconstruction of how the alleged paper leak trail unfolded, based on Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG) briefings, initial probe finds, official statements and multiple media reports.
Investigators suspect the leak may have begun in Nashik
One of the strongest theories currently under investigation centres on Nashik in Maharashtra, where investigators suspect the paper may have been compromised either during printing, storage or transportation.
According to recent reports, investigators believe the first digital copy of the leaked paper may have been created in Nashik using portable "high-definition scanners" instead of mobile phone cameras, allegedly to avoid detection.
Sources also claimed investigators are probing whether a "shadow server" linked to a small IT startup in Nashik was used to mask the transfer of leaked files.
Investigators are also examining whether an employee of a private courier company may have enabled temporary access to question paper storage trunks before the exam. These claims, however, remain under investigation and have not yet been officially confirmed by the CBI.
NEET-UG 2026 paper leak: Nashik Police arrest man, Rajasthan police to take his custodyThe first known question paper 'transaction'
One of the earliest dated transactions in the case reportedly took place on April 26.
According to media reports, two brothers from Jamwaramgarh near Jaipur allegedly purchased the question paper from a doctor in Gurugram for Rs 30 lakh. Investigators reportedly believe the Gurugram contact acted as a major intermediary after the Nashik stage, helping move the paper into Rajasthan's coaching ecosystem.
At this stage, investigators believe the paper was already being distributed not as a leaked exam paper, but as a handwritten "guess paper" or "VIP set", allowing it to circulate more openly without immediately raising suspicion.
NEET-UG leak row rocks Rajasthan, handwritten 'guess paper' circulated days before examHow the 'guess paper' quietly spread before the exam
According to investigators, the alleged leak network avoided openly calling the material a "paper leak". Instead, the PDFs were reportedly circulated as "guess papers", "important questions" or "high-confidence predictions".
This strategy allegedly helped the material spread through coaching networks, Telegram groups, and WhatsApp groups.
Rajasthan SOG later found that the circulated material contained hundreds of Biology and Chemistry questions, many of which allegedly matched the actual NEET paper exactly.
Speaking to the media recently, IG, Special Operations Group (SOG), Rajasthan, Ajay Pal Lamba, said, "In the PDF going viral, 45 questions of Chemistry and 90 questions of Biology were found to be the perfect match along with their answers."
Investigators increasingly believe that while the paper may not have originated in Sikar, the Rajasthan coaching hub became one of its biggest redistribution centres in the country.
How the paper reached a Kerala MBBS student?
According to Rajasthan SOG sources, an MBBS student from Churu, Rajasthan, currently studying in Kerala, allegedly received the "guess paper" from a friend in Sikar on May 1.
As the student himself reportedly did not need the paper, as he was already studying medicine, investigators believe he may not have been an active buyer in the racket, but someone who unintentionally helped expose it.
Explained | From 'leak-proof' claims to cancellation: What happened to NEET-UG 2026The night before NEET-UG 2026
One of the most critical moments in the entire controversy reportedly took place around 11 pm on May 2, just hours before the examination.
Reports suggest that the Kerala-based MBBS student forwarded the PDF to his father, who runs a hostel for coaching students in Sikar. He reportedly sent a message saying that if any hostel students were appearing for NEET, the paper might help them.
Investigators later verified this sequence using phone records and WhatsApp exchanges between the two.
NEET-UG paper leak: NTA chief says matter handed to CBI, won't charge additional fee for re-examThe hostel owner and the 'whistleblowers'
On the morning of May 3, the hostel owner reportedly attempted to share the paper with four girls staying at the facility who were appearing for NEET, but they had already left for the exam centre.
Out of curiosity, he also forwarded the PDF to a chemistry teacher he knew. This decision eventually led to the entire paper leak getting exposed.
After the exam, the chemistry teacher reportedly compared the "guess paper" with the actual NEET paper and found that 45 out of 108 Chemistry questions matched exactly. He then consulted a Biology colleague, and together they discovered that 90 out of 204 Biology questions matched the real paper. The total overlap reportedly came to 135 questions.
Investigators later stated that in several cases, even the wording and punctuation were identical.
NSUI holds massive protest after NTA cancels NEET-UG 2026 over paper leakThis appears to have been the first serious independent verification that the so-called "guess paper" may actually have contained leaked questions.
The hostel owner and the teacher approached local police in Sikar after discovering the overlap. However, sources told the channel that local police allegedly refused to register a case.
According to the report, the police questioned why the complaint was being made after the examination instead of before it. Sources also claimed that the police suspected the complainants may simply have wanted the exam cancelled.
Email to NTA that triggered cancellation
After the police allegedly refused to act, the hostel owner and the teacher reportedly emailed the National Testing Agency (NTA) around May 6 or 7.
This is currently understood to be one of the earliest formal alerts received by authorities. The NTA later contacted the Intelligence Bureau and requested the Rajasthan SOG to investigate the matter on May 8.
NTA Director-General Abhishek Singh later publicly acknowledged the whistleblower information while explaining why the exam had been cancelled.
"On the night of May 7, we received information through a whistleblower that before the exams were conducted, the individual had received a WhatsApp message wherein some questions were matching the exact questions in the exam," he said.
He further stated that investigators verified that PDFs containing matching questions were available on phones before May 3, calling it a violation of the agency's "zero-tolerance policy".
Rajasthan SOG expands probe
Between May 8 and May 12, Rajasthan SOG launched a large-scale probe into the allegations.
According to Lamba, investigators questioned more than 150 aspirants, their parents and friends, and individuals linked to coaching institutes.
Investigators are currently also probing WhatsApp forwarding chains, circulation groups, and a Telegram network called 'Private Mafia' with around 400 members.
'No value for our hard work?': NEET-UG aspirants react to cancellation amid paper leak allegationsArrests, CBI takeover and cancellation of the exam
Rajasthan SOG has so far arrested multiple individuals, including Manish Yadav and Rakesh Mandwaria, who are allegedly linked to consultancy and coaching circles.
Meanwhile, the Nashik police arrested Shubham Khairnar, a BAMS student allegedly found with a physical copy of the "guess paper". CBI teams later reached Nashik to take custody of the accused.
On May 12, the NTA officially cancelled NEET-UG 2026 after investigators concluded that the integrity of the examination process may have been compromised.
The CBI has now registered an FIR under charges related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, corruption, and provisions of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.