CBI probes money trail in NEET-UG paper leak; students allegedly paid Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for access: Sources

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, has found that the leaked question paper had allegedly reached Rajasthan through an accused identified as Yash Yadav, while students were allegedly charged between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh for access to the paper, sources said.

According to sources, Yash Yadav was acquainted with another accused, Vikas Biwal. The investigation has revealed that Vikas Biwal’s father, Dinesh Biwal, allegedly scanned the hard copy of the NEET-UG question paper and converted it into PDF files.

Sources said the accused had allegedly handwritten the question paper before scanning and circulating it among students studying at coaching centres in Rajasthan’s Sikar district. The accused arrested in the case were produced before a Magistrate at his residence in Jaipur late on Wednesday night. The investigative agency brought the accused for judicial proceedings amid tight security.

IMPORTANT: Bade logon ko toh bachaya ja raha hai.
One of the accused in NEET paper leak case while in CBI custody. Listen in: pic.twitter.com/wwK5YuBmkG

— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) May 13, 2026

The CBI has also questioned coaching institute owners and staff members as part of the investigation. According to sources, several students have told investigators that they allegedly paid amounts ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for access to the leaked paper. Sources further said that Yash Yadav himself did not clear the examination and is a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medical Sciences graduate.

Meanwhile, accused Shubham has denied allegations that he was the mastermind behind the paper leak. The CBI is currently probing the source of the leak, the chain through which the question paper reached the accused, and how it was subsequently circulated among students preparing for the examination.

Statements of students as well as accused persons are being recorded, while investigators are also verifying the money trail linked to the alleged leak network.

The CBI had earlier registered a case on May 12 based on a written complaint received from the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education regarding alleged irregularities and a paper leak in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2026 examination.

The Centre cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination conducted on May 3 and announced that the country’s biggest undergraduate medical entrance test will be re-conducted on dates to be notified separately.

Following the incident, Bihar Police on Wednesday also busted a gang allegedly involved in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case. Rajgir DSP Sunil Kumar Singh confirmed the seizure of several mobile phones and laptops containing incriminating digital evidence.

According to the police, recovered chats from the devices reveal a clear “money transaction trail” and 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…” Singh said.

The NEET examination this year was held on May 3. According to the National Testing Agency (NTA), 22.79 lakh students appeared for the examination, which was conducted across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad, covering more than 5,400 centres. (ANI)