NEET PAPER LEAK SCANDAL: Amid the NEET paper scandal, it has been revealed how WhatsApp groups and Telegram channels played a key role in leaking the paper. The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 exam that was held on May 3 after it came out in the public domain that investigators had identified a multi-state paper leak scandal through coaching and digital circuits. The move to ditch the country’s biggest medical entrance exam comes with the backing of the Government of India following “investigative inputs from central agencies and law enforcement authorities” that reportedly caused “serious concerns” about the integrity of the examination process.
Questions Leaked On WhatsApp Group, Telegram Channels
The WhatsApp group called ‘Private Mafia’ is being investigated.WhatsApp Group ‘Private Mafia’ is under investigation.
The investigation has now expanded to a “massive” digital leak network that allegedly sends exam questions prior to the medical entrance test, through WhatsApp groups and Telegram channels.
#WATCH : Private Mafia Group Linked to Alleged NEET Paper Leak
A viral video allegedly shows a WhatsApp group called “Private Mafia” with nearly 400 members, reportedly used to share leaked NEET papers. Sources claim 60 questions matched the actual exam exactly. The case is now… pic.twitter.com/FUWGRQn17U
— upuknews (@upuknews1) May 12, 2026
400 members in the group
It is said there were almost 400 members in the group, and investigators claim it was established to post leaked exam papers. The group description was supposed to explicitly forbid members from forwarding the material outside of the group. The group description explicitly prohibited members from forwarding the material outside the group.
Sources also said leaked NEET question paper and “guess papers” were also shared on various coaching and counselling networks via Telegram channels.
About 60 questions from the NEET-UG 2026 exam matched a handwritten “guess paper” word for word. Investigators discovered this paper while looking into a leak racket, and honestly, it wasn’t just the questions.
Even the punctuation, answer choices, and sequence lined up exactly with the real exam. Turns out, this leaked material was floating around at least two days before the test, according to the officials. There were around 140 questions on the paper, mostly Biology and Chemistry, worth almost 600 out of the total 720 marks.
Who is the mastermind of NEET paper leak scandal?
Three people are in custody: Avinash Lamba and Manish Yadav, who were arrested in Jaipur, and Rakesh Mandawariya, detained at the RK Consultancy Centre in Sikar, the place where the question paper was actually leaked. The NEET paper didn’t just get out; it was sold off, too.
SOG sources in Jaipur point to Manish Yadav as the main person running the show. No formal FIR yet, but the crackdown has gotten pretty serious. Agencies have arrested at least nine people across five states, and the hunt for bigger names is ongoing.
Following the trail, investigators traced the leak back to a meeting in Nashik, Maharashtra, where members of the alleged gang gathered just before the exam. After the leak hit on May 3, the National Testing Agency decided not to hold the exam for the 22 lakh students who were supposed to take it this year. They’ll announce new re-exam dates and issue fresh admit cards soon.
As of now, Rajasthan SOG says about 45 people have been taken into custody in connection with this case. The investigation keeps growing, and more names keep popping up.
NEET Paper Leak: Case handed over to CBI
The CBI is expected to formally register the case shortly and has started gathering evidence and documents from NTA and Rajasthan SOG in connection with the probe into the leaking and circulation of the answers through digital means.
The disclosure has once again put the spotlight on the potential threat posed by encryption technology for the purpose of sending confidential information through the use of encrypted instant messengers and private online communities.
With 13 years on the line, Ashish Kumar Singh loves everything when it comes to movies, music, travel and pop culture. Formerly employed at ANI, Pinkvilla, India Today and HT, Ashish has interviewed some of the top celebrities of India, including Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan, among others. Breaking news excites him and deadlines are what he chases. Interviewing comes naturally to him. Hit him up at ashish.kumar02singh@gmail.com.
