NEET UG 2026 Paper Leak: Brothers Arrested After Question Paper Sold for Rs 30 Lakh

NEET UG 2026 Paper Leak: As per an India Today report, investigators have found that two brothers from Rajasthan allegedly purchased the NEET UG 2026 question paper from a doctor in Gurugram for Rs 30 lakh nearly a week before the examination. The report states that two brothers, Mangilal and Dinesh Biwal, residents of Jamwa Ramgarh in Rajasthan, allegedly obtained the paper on April 26, 2026. According to India Today, one of the brothers then shared the question paper with his son, who was preparing for the medical entrance examination in Sikar. The brothers have been arrested as per report. Paper Allegedly Circulated Through Rajasthan and Other States As per the India Today report, the brothers later sold the paper to several aspirants on April 29. Investigators believe the paper was further passed to an MBBS counseling agent, Rakesh Kumar Mandawaria, based in Sikar. As per an India Today report, after one of the Rajasthan brothers allegedly shared the NEET UG 2026 question paper with his son, who was preparing for the exam in Sikar. The report stated that the paper was then allegedly sold to Rakesh Kumar Mandawaria, an MBBS counselling agent based in Sikar. According to India Today, Mandawaria, who operated outside major coaching institutes in the city, later sold the paper for Rs 30,000 to one of his associates, a student from Sikar who was pursuing MBBS in Kerala. As per the report, a day before the examination, the student allegedly forwarded the paper to his father, who ran a paying guest (PG) accommodation in Sikar, with a message that read:“Papa, a friend from Sikar sent this to me. Please give it to the girls in your hostel. This is what will come in tomorrow’s exam.” India Today reported that the father subsequently circulated the question paper among girls staying at the hostel. Gurugram Doctor Emerging as Key Link According to India Today, the Gurugram doctor is emerging as a crucial link in the investigation. Sources cited by the publication indicated that the paper may have originated from a printing press in Nashik and reached the doctor through a chain network. However, the report also noted that the president of the Indian Medical Association, Dr. Rajesh Kataria, said no medical body in Gurugram had been contacted by investigating agencies regarding the doctor. Sikar at the Centre of the Alleged Leak Network As per an India Today report, students and coaching institute operators in Sikar had allegedly created WhatsApp and Telegram groups through which the question paper was circulated. According to sources cited by India Today, the paper is believed to have originated from a printing press in Nashik and travelled through Haryana and Jamwa Ramgarh before reaching Sikar in Rajasthan. From there, the paper was allegedly distributed to candidates in several states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Kerala, and Uttarakhand, making Sikar a key centre in the suspected interstate paper leak network. The report stated that Rakesh Kumar Mandawaria, who was arrested in Dehradun, allegedly distributed the question paper to nearly 700 students. Political Link Under Investigation India Today further reported that one of the accused, Dinesh Biwal, is allegedly linked to a political party. Investigators also found that four children from the brothers’ family had reportedly cleared NEET in the previous year. The PDF later became widely distributed and even sold in print form. In Haryana, Yash Yadav, who allegedly sold the paper, was also arrested. NEET UG 2026 Cancelled; CBI Begins Probe The NEET UG 2026 examination, conducted on May 3, was cancelled by the National Testing Agency on May 12 following allegations of a paper leak. The case has now been turned over to the Central Bureau of Investigation, which was established after the government requested that the agency conduct a thorough investigation into the alleged irregularities.