Kamal Ghorui
NEET paper leak 2026: NEET UG 2026, the national medical entrance examination for admission to MBBS, BDS and AYUSH programmes, is under investigation following allegations that a “guess paper” circulated before the exam contained questions closely matching the actual paper. The Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group (SOG) is probing the case linked to material that reportedly surfaced ahead of the examination conducted on May 3, 2026.According to investigators, the alleged question set had been circulating among NEET aspirants between 15 days and one month before the examination. Officials said the document reportedly contained around 410 questions, with nearly 120 questions from the Chemistry section matching the examination paper exactly.Questions worth 600 marks under scrutinyInvestigators have examined claims that questions worth nearly 600 marks out of the total 720 were allegedly accessible to certain candidates before the examination. Rajasthan Police SOG Additional Director General Vishal Bansal said the agency was verifying whether the circulation of the material was linked to any organised wrongdoing.Vishal Bansal, Additional Director General (ADG) of the Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group (SOG), said, “Regarding the various misconceptions surrounding the NEET examination, let me clarify one specific point: there is a guess paper containing approximately 410 questions. Out of these 410 questions, it is alleged that roughly 120 questions actually appeared in the Chemistry section of the exam. It is reported that this guess paper had been circulating among the students well in advance; it began reaching them as early as 15 days to a month prior to the actual examination. Therefore, our investigation is currently focused on determining whether any cheating or criminal activity has occurred based on this guess paper. We are actively examining this matter and are currently engaged in the investigative process. No, as of now, we have not made any arrests of any kind,” said Vishal Bansal in a statement to ANI.Network trail traced across Kerala and RajasthanPreliminary findings suggest the alleged question bank originated from a medical student from Churu currently studying in Kerala. Sources linked to the investigation said the material was sent to an associate in Sikar on May 1 before being passed on to a Paying Guest facility operator.From there, it was reportedly circulated among students, counsellors and aspirants across multiple coaching-linked networks in Rajasthan and other states. Investigators are examining the full chain of transmission and identifying each handler involved in the distribution process.Alleged sale and digital circulation under probeThe SOG is also investigating claims that the document was sold at varying prices before the examination. According to sources, copies were allegedly sold for ?5 lakh two days before the test, while the price reportedly dropped to ?30,000 on the night prior to the examination.Officials have also recovered messages marked “Forwarded many times” from seized mobile phones, indicating repeated digital sharing of the material through multiple groups.Multiple arrests and NTA responseThe Special Operations Group has apprehended 13 suspects from Dehradun, Sikar and Jhunjhunu over the past four days. Most of those detained are reportedly associated with career counselling and admission guidance services. Among them is Rakesh Mandawariya from Sikar, who operated a consultancy office near a coaching institute on Piprali Road.The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts NEET UG, stated that it received information regarding alleged irregularities on May 7 and subsequently shared the inputs with central agencies for further examination. The agency has advised candidates to avoid rumours and wait for verified findings as the investigation continues.
