A chance discovery in Sikar
On the evening of May 3, just hours after the exam concluded, a senior teacher and operator at a coaching institute in Sikar (name changed in reports) met students returning from their examination centres. Among them was a student, Satish (name changed), who approached the teacher with an unusual concern. He showed two PDF files he had received from his landlord, asking for guidance. At first glance, it seemed like another speculative “guess paper,” but the content raised immediate suspicion.
Matching questions raise alarm
The teacher, later identified in reports as Rajat (name changed), reviewed the documents with another faculty member over the next few hours. The PDFs included:
A 60-page scanned handwritten chemistry document
An 87-page typed biology document
By around 9 pm, the faculty concluded that a significant portion of the material closely matched the actual NEET-UG question paper—reportedly including about 45 chemistry questions and 90 biology questions.
According to Rajat, the students believed the material had come from the landlord, who allegedly received it from his son studying medicine in Kerala.
Confusion and delay in reporting
Rajat said the discovery left them conflicted. While some students were relieved after performing well, others were anxious as suspicions of malpractice emerged.
The coaching institute initially attempted to escalate the matter through media channels but were advised to file a formal police complaint instead.
Satish then approached the local police station in Udhyog Nagar, Rajasthan. However, officials reportedly asked him to return the next day with a written complaint addressed to the station house officer. The complaint was never formally submitted again, according to police accounts.
Independent verification and suspicion of larger leak
Following the incident, Rajat and another teacher spent time cross-checking previous examination leak cases, including NEET-UG 2024 and AIPMT 2015. They concluded that the leaked material likely originated before the exam reached centres, suggesting a possible breach at an earlier stage of the paper-setting process.
Rajat stated that, in his view, the leak did not originate locally in Sikar but likely occurred at the agency level before distribution to examination centres.
Escalation to the National Testing Agency
On May 7, Rajat and Satish formally escalated the matter by emailing the National Testing Agency (NTA), with assistance from a Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) officer.
The email reportedly included claims of:
Copies of the leaked PDFs
Screenshots showing receipt timestamps on the student’s device
Comparative analysis between leaked content and actual exam questions
Rajat later said he was aware of potential backlash from peers in the coaching ecosystem but believed reporting the incident was necessary to protect students’ interests.
CBI investigation and arrests
Following the complaint, the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
According to investigators, members of the NEET-UG paper-setting process allegedly played a role in leaking sections of the exam. The probe has led to multiple arrests across states.
Among those arrested are:
Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, a senior botany teacher from Pune
PV Kulkarni from Latur
Manisha Waghmare, a Pune-based beauty parlour owner
Dhananjay Lokhanda
Shubham Khairnar
Mangilal Biwal alias Mangilal Khatik
Vikas Biwal
Dinesh Biwal
Yash Yadav
Authorities allege that Mandhare had access to botany and zoology papers, while Kulkarni was linked to the chemistry paper. Investigators further claim that the network spanned multiple states, with nine arrests reported so far.
Ongoing investigation
The case continues to be under active investigation, with authorities examining how sensitive examination material was accessed and distributed before the national test. The developments have once again raised serious concerns about examination security, paper-setting protocols, and the integrity of large-scale competitive entrance exams in India.
