The real story behind the cancellation of the country’s largest medical entrance examination, NEET-UG 2026, has now emerged. According to information received by Bhaskar from sources, the mastermind behind the entire operation is linked to a printing press in Nashik, Maharashtra.
The paper leak mafia deliberately labelled the leaked exam as a ‘guess paper’ to mislead students and avoid attracting the attention of investigative agencies. More than 120 questions in the so-called ‘guess paper’ matched exactly with the original NEET paper.
The paper had allegedly been circulated nearly three weeks before the examination across 10 states, including Rajasthan. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has now taken over the probe. A CBI team reached the Special Operations Group (SOG) headquarters in Jaipur on Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, the SOG investigation revealed that Shubham Khairnar leaked the paper from the Nashik printing press and sold it in Pune. The paper was later purchased in Gurugram.
Two brothers from Jaipur, Dinesh and Mangilal, were reportedly the first buyers in Rajasthan. Investigators said the accused paid Rs 30 lakh to a gang in Gurugram between April 26 and 27.
Several others, including Sikar-based consultant Rakesh Mandawariya, who allegedly circulated the paper, have also been detained and are being questioned. It is alleged that Rakesh sold the paper in Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, and Assam.
On Tuesday night, a CBI team reached the Jaipur SOG office to investigate the NEET paper leak case.
Leaked in Nashik, first sold in Pune, then spread across 10 states
Investigators found that Shubham Khairnar leaked the paper from a printing press in Nashik, Maharashtra. After obtaining the paper, he and his associates converted it into a so-called ‘guess paper’.
The paper was first sold in Pune before spreading through Telegram groups to 10 states, including Rajasthan, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. It was later circulated widely across multiple Telegram channels.
The gang intentionally described it as a ‘guess paper’ so that recipients would not immediately identify it as the actual exam paper or report it to authorities.
Accused Shubham Khairnar created a guess paper by leaking the paper from the printing press.
One accused brother also linked to politics
The accused brothers from Jamwaramgarh in Jaipur allegedly travelled to Sikar and sold the paper there. Before distributing it further, one of the brothers reportedly gave the paper to his own son, who was preparing for NEET in Sikar.
In Sikar, the paper was distributed under the name ‘Guess Question Bank’ through consultancy operators and hostel owners. Investigators also found that one of the accused brothers has political links. Four children from the brothers’ family had reportedly qualified for NEET last year.
More than 120 questions matched exactly
Initial investigations had suggested that the paper came to Sikar from Kerala. However, investigators later found that the paper had already reached Rajasthan before being circulated further. A student in Rajasthan allegedly sent the paper to a friend studying in Kerala, who then shared it again among students in Sikar and Jhunjhunu.
On May 4, a student forwarded the paper to a Physics faculty member at a coaching institute in Sikar. When the faculty member checked it, they found that 90 Biology questions and 35 Chemistry questions, more than 120 in total, matched exactly with the original NEET paper.
The Physics faculty member then approached the police. Police officials advised filing a complaint with the National Testing Agency (NTA) as well. A formal complaint with supporting evidence was submitted to the NTA between May 5 and 6, following which the agency informed the Intelligence Bureau.
Sikar’s consultant Rakesh delivered the paper to dozens of students.
Sikar consultant emerges as key link
Rakesh Mandawariya, accused of circulating the paper, operated a consultancy office opposite a coaching institute in Sikar and provided counselling services related to NEET preparation.
Investigators found that Rakesh had received the paper several days in advance. He allegedly shared it not only with students but also with PG operators and coaching faculty members. Authorities are now struggling to determine how many students eventually received the leaked paper.
Rakesh, a resident of Samarthpura village in Khandela area of Sikar district, is a former Navodaya Vidyalaya student. He opened his office on Piprali Road two years ago and also facilitated admissions to foreign MBBS colleges.
Before this, he reportedly worked in another city. Initially, the paper reached only a limited number of students, but a day before the exam it spread rapidly through WhatsApp and Telegram groups, eventually reaching thousands.
Hostel and PG operators also allegedly received the paper on their mobile phones and further shared it with students staying with them.
Rakesh has opened a consultancy office in front of a coaching institute located in Sikar.
Rakesh detained from Dehradun
The National Testing Agency informed the Intelligence Bureau about the case. Based on identification by the student who had sent the paper to the Physics faculty member, Rakesh Mandawariya and his associates were detained in Dehradun.
The SOG formally entered the investigation on May 8. That same night, teams reached the Udyog Nagar police station area in Sikar and detained more than a dozen students for questioning. Between May 8 and May 12, around 17 to 18 students were questioned at the Udyog Nagar police station.
Officials questioned the students about how the paper reached them and other related aspects of the case. The students have since been released, although the CBI may summon them again if required.
SOG IG Ajaypal Lamba provided information related to the paper leak to the media.
Paper reached Rajasthan from other states
SOG Inspector General Ajaypal Lamba said police had received inputs suggesting the paper may have been leaked before the examination. Following this, joint investigation teams from Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Alwar, Jaipur City, Jaipur Rural Police and SOG launched a coordinated probe.
More than 150 students, parents, coaching operators and other suspects were questioned during the investigation. Lamba said investigators confirmed that the NEET paper had reached several individuals in Rajasthan even before the examination began.
He added that the investigation traced the leak back to Nashik in Maharashtra. From there, the paper reached Gurugram in Haryana before being circulated in Rajasthan through various channels.
According to police, the paper was circulated through Telegram and WhatsApp groups. In many cases, students were told it was merely a ‘guess paper’, although sellers claimed questions from it would appear in the examination.
These accused handed over to CBI by SOG
The SOG has apprehended 15 people so far. Those handed over to the CBI include Vikram Kumar Yadav (student), Rakesh Kumar Mandawariya (consultant), Rajat Kumar (student), Amit Meena (student), Rohit Mawaliya (student), Yogesh Prajapat, Sandeep Haritwal, Nitesh Ajmera, Mangilal, Dinesh, Vikas, Yash Yadav, Satyanarayan Chaudhary and another accused.
CBI registers FIR
Based on a written complaint from the Department of Higher Education, the CBI has registered an FIR in connection with the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. Special CBI teams have been constituted for the investigation and dispatched to multiple locations across the country.
