Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Nashik Police on Tuesday detained 30-year-old Shubham Khairnar, a resident of Nandgaon in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, in connection with the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case that has now been taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).Shubham Khairnar was picked up by Nashik crime branch’s Unit 2 from the city’s Indiranagar area following a request from Rajasthan Police, which has been probing the alleged leak through its Special Operations Group (SOG). Later in the evening, the CBI formally took him into custody for further questioning.Cops believe Shubham may hold crucial information about how the leaked NEET paper allegedly travelled through a multi-state network before the May 3 examination. Sources associated with the probe suspect the paper first surfaced through links connected to a coaching institute in Nashik before being circulated across several states.The Rajasthan SOG has alleged that the leaked paper was disguised as a 400-question “guess paper” and sold for Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. According to investigators, all 90 biology questions and all 45 chemistry questions from the actual NEET-UG 2026 paper were allegedly hidden inside the document.SOG officials claim the network stretched across Jaipur, Sikar, Gurgaon, Nashik, Pune, Dehradun and even Kerala. Rajasthan SOG chief Ajay Pal Lamba said a Haryana-based man allegedly procured the paper from a contact in Nashik, strengthening suspicion that Maharashtra may have been one of the key transit points in the leak chain.Police are also examining possible links to Latur in Maharashtra after a parent alleged that 42 questions from a mock test conducted by a private coaching institute matched the actual NEET paper. Latur police have initiated an inquiry into the claims.The NEET-UG 2026 examination was cancelled Tuesday amid allegations of a paper leak, following which the Centre handed over the investigation to the CBI. The agency has registered an FIR under provisions related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, breach of trust and offences under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act.
