Shubham Khairnar, medical student arrested from Nashik in NEET-UG paper leak case; student allegedly paid Rs 10 lakh to access paper

A student from Maharashtra's Nashik who allegedly obtained a physical copy of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 'guess' paper was detained on Tuesday by Maharashtra police.

The student, identified as Shubham Khairnar, is a Bachelor of Medical Sciences student in Bhopal who allegedly received the physical copy of the 'guess' paper in Nashik a few days before the NEET exam held on May 3. He later forwarded a soft copy to a person in Haryana. No first information report (FIR) has been lodged yet, a senior Rajasthan police officer aware of the investigation by the Special Operations Group (SOG) said.

"He got access to the physical copy through some people who probably leaked the main question paper. They prepared a 'guess' paper and shared it with him, who circulated it further. He is a key person for us who will lead the further investigation. It is yet not clear how he came in touch with that network and how much he spent to buy the paper," a senior Maharashtra police officer said.

Nashik student arrested in NEET-UG case, paid Rs 10 lakh for paper leaked on Telegram: Police sources

Officials said Khairnar's interrogation is expected to reveal the source of the physical paper. A senior Rajasthan SOG officer said the 'guess' paper was allegedly leaked from a printing press in Nashik and later circulated in Haryana and Rajasthan.

"We believe that the paper had been leaked from a printing press in Nashik. It could be a well-organised nationwide network involving paper solvers and impersonators," the officer said.

According to investigators, the handwritten 'guess' paper matched 120 out of 150 questions in biology and chemistry from the original NEET paper. The same was allegedly sold through employees in paying guest hostels for NEET students and coaching centres. The 'guess' paper reportedly contained 410 questions along with answers.

"After receiving the paper, he made a PDF and forwarded it to someone in Haryana's Gurugram. The soft copy was widely circulated in Rajasthan's Jaipur and Sikar, and later in Kerala, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, and Dehradun," the officer added.

"Two official teams of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from Delhi are likely to visit Rajasthan in the evening. So far, we have questioned 24 people across the country, many of whom, including a Sikar-based counsellor, were brought to the Jaipur headquarters of the SOG," the officer said.

The Rajasthan police also questioned a counsellor from a Sikar coaching centre who allegedly paid ₹5 lakh to purchase the 'guess' paper and sold it to NEET aspirants through WhatsApp.

To be sure, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2023 had conducted raids at an accountant's office linked to a prominent coaching centre in Sikar in connection with the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers (REET) 2021 paper leak case. SOG officials said the academy remains under their scanner in the current investigation as well.

On Monday, the SOG handed over the investigation to the CBI.

A senior SOG official said the probe has revealed a network of at least 45 people spread across Maharashtra, Kerala, Haryana, Bihar, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, who allegedly provided the 'guess' paper to NEET aspirants.

"When we started the investigation, we found a WhatsApp group named 'Private Mafia' where the paper was widely circulated. However, it was limited to paid members. The payments ranged from ₹5,000 to ₹30,000. Many people bought the 'guess' paper from this group, while several others forwarded it for free. We are trying to gather data on how many people accessed the paper," the official said.

The SOG launched the probe after finding that at least 120 questions in the NEET paper conducted on May 3 matched those circulated earlier in a 'guess' paper on WhatsApp groups. Officials suspect that someone had access to the actual question paper, based on which the model paper was prepared.

The investigation team is also probing the involvement of major paper-leak gangs operating in the state. "Earlier, many coaching centres, including some from Sikar, have been found involved in several recruitment examination scams. Necessary action will be taken if any of them are found involved in this case too," the officer added.

Sikar coordinator of the National Testing Agency (NTA), Narsi Ram, on Sunday said that some students had complained to the police about the 'guess' paper after the examination was conducted "peacefully" in the coaching hub. Around 30,000 students appeared for the exam in Sikar.

Who is Shubham Khairnar?

According to officials, Shubham Khairnar is around 30 years old and lives with his family in the Indiranagar area of Nashik. He is originally from Nandgaon taluka in Nashik district and is currently pursuing Bachelor of Medical Sciences in Bhopal.

Reports claim that he received the physical copy of the 'guess' paper in Nashik a few days before the NEET exam and later forwarded its soft copy to a person in Haryana.

Khairnar was detained around noon while he was reportedly on his way to a temple for darshan. Officials said he had allegedly changed his appearance and even cut his hair to avoid identification. However, police were able to identify and detain him after matching his face with old photographs.

Who is the alleged mastermind?

According to sources, a man identified as Manish Yadav is suspected to be the mastermind behind the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. He is accused of playing a central role in coordinating the leak network and has been taken into custody.

Another accused, identified as Rakesh Mandawariya, has also been detained and is accused of distributing the leaked examination material.