A Delhi court on Thursday sent five accused arrested in connection with the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case to seven-day custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), as the agency widened its probe into what it described as a multi-state conspiracy.
According to media reports, special CBI Judge Ajay Gupta was hearing the agency's plea seeking custodial interrogation of all five accused to “unearth the whole conspiracy” behind the alleged leak of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on May 3.
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The accused have been identified as Shubham Khairnar from Nashik in Maharashtra; Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal from Jaipur in Rajasthan; and Yash Yadav from Gurugram, Haryana.
According to the CBI, the accused were allegedly linked to the circulation of NEET-UG exam questions before the examination. In its remand application, the agency alleged that the paper was compromised after questions were shared in PDF format through WhatsApp and Telegram ahead of the test.
Khairnar, 30, was brought to Delhi after the CBI secured a two-day transit remand from a Mumbai court. A resident of Nandgaon in Maharashtra's Nashik district, he is suspected to have played a role in the leak of the medical entrance examination.
The agency earlier told the court that the involvement of individuals from multiple states had emerged during the investigation, making custodial interrogation necessary.
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The NEET (UG) 2026 examination, held on May 3 for admissions to undergraduate medical courses, was cancelled by the government on May 12 amid allegations of large-scale irregularities and paper leak. The Centre subsequently handed over the investigation to the CBI for a “comprehensive inquiry” into the matter.
According to media reports, the CBI's investigation is currently focused on tracing the source of the leaked paper, identifying beneficiaries, and uncovering the wider network allegedly involved in the exam leak racket.
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