The Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) probe into the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case has new striking developments coming to light, including the involvement of aspirants' parents and a National Testing Agency (NTA) official. With several parents coming under the CBI's radar, the scope of the investigation has expanded beyond paper setters, experts and middlemen.
On Saturday and Sunday, eight officers of the probe agency raided three to four different premises, including a house in the Vidyut Nagar area in Nanded and in Latur. The CBI reportedly received a tip-off that the family had allegedly procured leaked NEET papers for their daughters. The family allegedly paid anywhere between ₹5 and ₹10 lakh to middlemen to obtain the questions before the examination, Hindustan Times reported, citing officials' suspicion.
All eyes on NEET aspirants' parents
According to investigators, the paper leak racket operated with the help of an extensive network, far beyond the core officials responsible for setting papers and intermediaries involved. All eyes are now on financially well-off parents who allegedly paid large sums to secure medical admissions for their children.
On Friday, the CBI team launched the search operation in Nanded.
Officials informed HT that the CBI interrogated the parents of a girl who appeared for the NEET-UG on 3 May for more than eight hours. They did not limit the search operation to interrogation; electronic devices, such as mobile phones, were also scanned for evidence. Officials inspected documents and communication records, including phone calls and messages exchanged by family members, said the media report.
As per officials familiar with the matter, the girl’s father is a businessman who paid around ₹10 lakh — ₹5 lakh to a middleman and ₹5 lakh to a separate individual to get access to leaked papers. The officials are trying to establish the girl’s links with a Pune coaching institute, where she reportedly spent around 15 days while preparing for the NEET exam.
Private coaching institutes with suspicious advertisements under scanner
Even flex banners of private coaching institutes in Nanded have come under suspicion for claims about students’ expected performance in the examination. AIB coaching displayed banners with the tagline “The Results To Come” along with photographs of its top-performing students.
In an interview with the news outlet, AIB’s Atul More admitted that the girl was a student at the coaching institute. Asserting that the student had not been associated with the institute for the past 15 days, More added, “Yes, she was my student and was repeating NEET this year. In our mock tests, she used to score around 400 to 450 marks."
Following searches at the residences of another student's parents in Nanded, the CBI team moved to Latur. Officials suspect that parents circulated leaked papers to others to recover part of the money paid. Probe points to the operation of a well-organised network spanning Pune, Latur, Nanded and nearby districts. Officials privy to the matter said some parents allegedly paid amounts ranging between ₹10 lakh and ₹25 lakh to gain access to leaked question papers.
Nine accused have been arrested in the case from several locations across India, including Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune and Ahilyanagar. The CBI is now tracing the money trail and identifying beneficiaries who may have knowingly availed leaked examination material.
