Neet scam shocker: CBI now hunts parents who paid Rs 5–10 lakh for leaked question papers

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on the Neet-UG 2026 paper leak scandal, now shifting focus to parents who allegedly bought the leaked question papers for lakhs and the intermediaries who ensured they reached them. 

The escalation comes on the heels of the high-profile arrest of Manisha Mandhare, a Pune-based Botany professor and National Testing Agency (NTA) expert insider, whom the Delhi Rouse Avenue Court remanded to 14 days of CBI custody.

Lakhs paid for a shortcut

The CBI's investigative trail has extended deep into Maharashtra, moving from Latur to Nanded. According to agency sources, a local parent was intensely questioned after evidence surfaced that he purchased the leaked examination paper for Rs 5 lakh to secure a medical seat for his daughter. The individual has been officially summoned to appear before the CBI’s Pune office for a secondary round of grilling.

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A similar story came from Sikar, Rajasthan, where the CBI arrested three individuals linked to a local family.

Investigators found that an accused father paid a whooping Rs 10 lakh to an intermediary linked to the coaching hub syndicate to obtain what was promised to be the exact "guess paper."

Despite having direct access to the leaked questions prior to the exam, the man's son managed to score just 107 marks out of 720 on the highly competitive test.

The insiders and the coaching nexus

The CBI’s widening net has exposed an intricate network of institutional insiders, middle-tier brokers, and desperate families.

Investigators reveal that the leaked papers originated from high-ranking insiders—including Mandhare, who allegedly dictated exact Botany and Zoology questions during private, secret sessions at her Pune home just before the May 3 exam. From there, the questions were funnelled through intermediaries, such as the Biwal family syndicate in Jaipur and brokers in Gurugram, who aggressively marketed the leaked contents to wealthy parents.

The legal heat has already led to panic among families involved in the scam.

In Jaipur, sources at the SMS Medical College told India Today that a female student, the daughter of a primary accused, suddenly stopped attending classes and went into hiding after the CBI conducted a raid on her family's residence. Another sibling enrolled at a medical college in Dausa has similarly gone missing from campus.

With nine major suspects already arrested across Rajasthan, Haryana, and Maharashtra, the CBI has made it clear that parents who paid bribes will not be treated merely as witnesses, but as active co-conspirators in subverting national security and academic integrity.

The NTA has officially rescheduled the Neet-UG examination for June 21, leaving lakhs of honest students to retake the test.