Kochi: Five persons were arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday in connection with alleged irregularities and a paper leak linked to the NEET UG-2026 examination, Times of India reported.
The case was registered on Tuesday following a written complaint from the Department of Higher Education under the Union Education Ministry regarding alleged irregularities and leakage of the medical entrance examination paper conducted on May 3.
Three of the accused are from Jaipur, one from Gurugram and one from Nashik.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled NEET-UG 2026 affecting nearly 23 lakh candidates.
A printing agency in Jaipur and coaching networks spread across Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Bihar and Kerala are under scanner.
NTA Director General Abhishek Singh had said that while the entire paper was not leaked, the appearance of even a single matching question compromised the integrity of the examination process.
The first whistleblower inputs reportedly reached the NTA on May 7, four days after the examination was conducted. The PDF contains suspected leaked questions on some mobile phones before the exam dates.
Investigators suspect the paper may have first leaked from a Jaipur-based printing agency before reaching a coaching institute in Nashik and subsequently spreading across multiple states.
The NTA will conduct a fresh NEET-UG examination on dates to be announced separately.
CBI nabs 5 in NEET paper leak
