New Delhi: At least nine persons have been arrested and nearly 45 detained for questioning in the NEET (UG) 2026 paper leak case.

Nearly 22.7 lakh students appeared for the examination on May 3 for admission to medical colleges across the country.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the examination on Tuesday. It assured candidates of a re-examination within 7 to 10 days.

The Centre has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the matter along with state police agencies.

Based on a written complaint received from Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India, the CBI has registered an FIR regarding alleged irregularities and paper leak in the conduct of NEET-UG 2026 exam for offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, theft and destruction of evidence under BNS, offences under Prevention of Corruption Act and offences under the Public Examination Prevention of Unfair Means Act 2024.

Special CBI teams have been formed and dispatched to various locations for investigation.

It has come to light that the scam is spread across several states.

The Rajasthan Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) along with police teams from several states, has so far uncovered what officials describe as a “highly coordinated inter-state network” involved in copying, distributing and circulating the alleged leaked paper before the May 3 examination, as reported by Republic TV.

So far, around nine arrests have reportedly been made across five states, while nearly 45 people have been detained or questioned in connection with the case, it was reported by the channel.

One of the key accused has been identified as Shubham Khairnar, who was detained from Maharashtra’s Nashik during a joint operation based on inputs shared by Rajasthan Police.

According to officials, Khairnar is around 30 years old and was living with his family in the Indiranagar area of Nashik. He is originally from Nandgaon taluka in Nashik district.The accused was reportedly pursuing a B.A.M.S degree, Republic TV reported.

Khairnar was detained around noon while he was allegedly on his way for darshan at a temple.

The accused had allegedly changed his appearance and even cut his hair in an attempt to avoid identification. Police officials, however, matched his face using old photographs and technical surveillance inputs before taking him into custody.

No leaked paper or related documents were circulated from Nashik itself, officials said.

The mastermind behind the racket is allegedly Manish Yadav, the Jaipur SOG said, as reported by Republic TV.

Yadav played a central role in coordinating the leak network and has now been taken into custody from Jaipur, officials said.

Another accused, identified as Rakesh Mandawariya, has also been detained. Officials suspect he allegedly handled distribution of the leaked examination material, as reported by the channel.

The operation involved an organised network that allegedly copied, reproduced and distributed examination material across multiple states before the exam was conducted, investigators suspect.

The network may have operated through coaching-linked channels, intermediaries and digital communication platforms, officials said.

Investigators allegedly found a handwritten “guess paper” carrying nearly 140 questions that reportedly matched the actual NEET-UG paper. Officials claimed the material included around 600 marks worth of questions out of the total 720 marks, including matching biology and chemistry questions and answer-option sequences.

Preliminary findings suggested that the material may have reached aspirants nearly two days before the examination

According to SOG sources, the alleged leak trail has been linked to an MBBS student from Rajasthan’s Churu district currently studying at a medical college in Kerala.

Investigators suspect the handwritten material was allegedly sent to an associate in Sikar on May 1 before being circulated through coaching-linked networks and career counsellors.

Officials further alleged that the material was sold for prices as high as Rs 5 lakh two days before the exam, while the rates reportedly dropped to Rs 30,000 a day before the test.