NEET 2026 Leak: 30-Year-Old BAMS Student Arrested for Selling Exam Paper

The nationwide investigation into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak has intensified, with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) detaining a 30-year-old BAMS student from Nashik, Maharashtra. The arrest is a major development in the ongoing probe following the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) cancellation of the May 3 examination.  

The ₹5 Lakh Profit Margin

The accused, a resident of Nashik’s Indiranagar area, was initially apprehended by the Nashik Crime Branch before being officially handed over to the CBI on Tuesday afternoon. In a desperate bid to evade law enforcement, the student had reportedly altered his appearance by cutting his hair.  

Investigators allege that the BAMS student played a crucial middleman role in the interstate cheating syndicate. According to reports, he purchased the leaked NEET question paper from a Pune-based suspect for ₹10 lakh and subsequently sold it to a buyer in Haryana for ₹15 lakh, pocketing a profit of ₹5 lakh in the process. The illicit transactions and paper circulation were reportedly conducted via an encrypted messaging application.  

A Expanding Interstate Network

This detention sheds light on the massive scale of the operation. Authorities suspect that the first digital copy of the leaked exam paper originally surfaced in Nashik before rapidly disseminating across multiple states. The leak’s network has now been traced to regions including Haryana, Rajasthan (specifically coaching hubs like Jaipur and Sikar), Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, and Kerala.  

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As the CBI continues to interrogate the detained student, further arrests are anticipated as the agency unravels the broader network of masterminds, proxy examinees, and beneficiaries involved in compromising the medical entrance exam.