The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak has expanded beyond paper preparers, experts and middlemen, with several parents who allegedly bought leaked question papers now coming under the agency’s scanner, officials said.
A CBI team comprising eight officers conducted searches on Saturday and Sunday at three to four different buildings including a house in Vidyut Nagar area of Nanded and Latur after receiving inputs that the family had procured leaked NEET papers for their daughters. Officials suspect they paid between $5- $10 lakh to the alleged middlemen to get the leaked papers before the exam.
Investigators believe the extortion extended beyond the core network of paper processors and middlemen, and involved financially well-off parents who allegedly paid large sums to secure medical admission for their children.
According to officials, the CBI team reached Nanded on Friday and began the search operation. Officials questioned the parents of the girl who appeared for NEET-UG on May 3, the officials added. The parents were interrogated for more than eight hours.
CBI officials also examined electronic devices, documents and communications records, including phone calls and messages exchanged between family members.
In the Nanded case, the girl’s father, a businessman, paid the money, officials claimed $10 lakh – $5 lakh to the broker and $5 lakh for a separate individual – to access the leaked papers. Investigators are probing the girl’s links with the coaching institute in Pune, where she reportedly stayed for about 15 days to prepare for NEET.
A private coaching institute, AIB, has displayed flex banners displaying pictures of its top-performing students in Nanded with the slogan ‘Results Coming’. Officials said investigators were examining allegations regarding the student’s expected performance on the exam as part of the broader investigation.
AIB’s Atul More told HT that he had no information regarding the CBI’s action.
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“Yes, she was my student and she was retaking NEET exam this year. In our mock exams, she was scoring around 400 to 450 marks,” Moore said. He further said that the student has not been associated with the institute for the past 15 days.
Officials said searches were also conducted at the residences of other parents in Nanded on Sunday morning, following which another CBI team moved towards Latur.
Investigators suspect that some parents may have distributed leaked papers to others in an attempt to recover part of the money they paid. They suspect that the alleged racket was being operated through a well-organized network spread across Pune, Latur, Nanded and adjoining areas.
Officials said some parents paid amounts ranging from… $10 lakh and $25 lakh to access the leaked question papers.
The CBI has already arrested several accused in connection with the case, including alleged masterminds, paper solvers and middlemen. Investigators are now focusing on tracing the money trail and identifying beneficiaries who may have intentionally benefited from the leaked screening materials.
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Senior officials said more raids were likely to be conducted in the coming days as the investigation progressed. The agency is also checking whether similar transactions have occurred in other regions and whether additional candidates have benefited from the leaked papers.
The families questioned by the Central Bank of Iraq could not immediately be reached for comment.
