&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Did a Kerala student leak NEET-UG paper? CBI probing money trail as reports suggest students paid Rs 2-5 lakh for access")
What began as whispers about a "guess paper" in Rajasthan has now exploded into one of the biggest exam scandals India has seen in years, a sprawling NEET-UG 2026 leak trail that appears to stretch from Kerala hostels and Sikar coaching hubs to Gurugram, Nashik and now the CBI’s doorstep. At the centre of it all is a PDF. Reports suggest that the PDF has been traced back to a student from Rajasthan's Sikar pursuing MBBS in Kerala.
Also read | Law banning hijab, wearing of religion-based symbols in educational institutions revoked in Karnataka
What was in the guess paper?
According to investigators, the so-called guess paper, initially dismissed by many students as just another pre-exam question bank, contained around 45 chemistry questions and 90 biology questions with answers that allegedly matched the actual NEET-UG 2026 paper held on May 3.
The trail, Rajasthan’s Special Operations Group says, began with an MBBS student from Sikar studying in Kerala, who allegedly received the material from a friend before forwarding it to contacts back home, including friends and a hostel owner in Sikar. From there, it reportedly spread through coaching circles, hostel groups and password-protected digital networks, including one group named "Private Mafia." Notably, the hostel owner who had circulated the material later alerted the police himself, and that tip-off appears to have cracked open the case.
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Investigators question over 150 students
As investigators dug deeper, more than 150 students, parents and associates were questioned. Investigators found that it may have been bigger than just a local leak, and could potentially be an organised interstate syndicate. Citing CBI sources, ANI reported that students may have paid anywhere between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh for access to the NEET paper questions. One accused, Yash Yadav, allegedly helped route the paper into Rajasthan, while another suspect's father is accused of scanning the hard copy into distributable PDFs.
The police said that they have recovered chats which reveal a clear "money transaction trail". They have identified several medical college students suspected of being part of the syndicate. "...we have seized mobile phones that have chats on them, and laptops. The chats reveal the money transaction trail. It also has information about students of other medical colleges...we have not found any question paper or guess paper on the phones..." Rajgir DSP Sunil Kumar Singh told ANI.
NEET 2026 cancelled
NEET-UG 2026, taken by nearly 22.8 lakh students across India and abroad on May 3, has been cancelled altogether. The investigation amid massive protests from students has widened beyond Rajasthan.
