New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): A Delhi court on Thursday granted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seven days of custody for five individuals arrested in connection with the NEET-UG 2026 examination leak. Special CBI Judge Ajay Gupta approved the agency’s request to interrogate the suspects as part of a broader effort to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy that led to the nationwide cancellation of the medical entrance test. The decision follows the government’s directive for a comprehensive inquiry into the “irregularities” surrounding the exam, which was held on May 3 and subsequently voided this past Tuesday.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Shubham Khairnar of Nashik, alongside Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal, and Dinesh Biwal from Jaipur, and Yash Yadav of Gurugram. They were taken into custody after the agency secured transit remands from various states. The investigation was triggered by an FIR registered on May 12 following a complaint by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Prosecutors informed the court that an inquiry by Rajasthan’s Special Operations Group had already confirmed the authenticity of several leaked questions, reinforcing the necessity of the cancellation.
In its remand plea, the CBI alleged that the examination was compromised when question papers for physics, chemistry, and biology were circulated in PDF format through messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram. The agency claimed the leak began as early as April, when a deal was reportedly struck to provide question papers to aspirants for amounts ranging between ten and twelve lakh rupees. According to the prosecution, Yash Yadav shared the documents via Telegram on April 29, which were then printed and distributed to a network of relatives and acquaintances.
The agency’s investigation has also highlighted a significant digital trail, with incriminating chats and deleted data recovered from the suspects’ mobile phones. Forensic examinations are currently underway to retrieve further evidence. The CBI underscored that custodial interrogation is essential to trace the original source of the breach and to determine if any NTA officials were involved in the scheme. They also intend to map the financial trails to identify other potential suspects who may have benefitted from the illicit distribution of the papers.
As the five suspects begin their week in custody, the focus remains on unearthing the “whole conspiracy” and ensuring the integrity of the medical admission process in Canada and abroad. The agency told the court that identifying the source of the leak is the top priority to prevent such systemic failures in the future. With digital evidence and financial records under scrutiny, investigators are working to piece together how a nationwide examination was so easily circumnavigated by a small group of individuals using common social media tools.
