NEET-UG paper leak: Rajasthan's Sikar emerges as new hub in CBI probe, leak trail linked to Nashik printing press
NEET UG paper leak: Rajasthan’s Sikar has emerged as a key centre in the ongoing investigation into the alleged NEET-UG paper leak, with central agencies now focusing heavily on the town’s coaching and counselling network.
The controversy surrounding the medical entrance exam had earlier forced the National Testing Agency (NTA) to cancel the NEET-UG examination conducted on May 3, impacting more than 22 lakh students across the country and sparking protests by aspirants in Delhi and several other cities.
Investigators probing the case believe the question paper may have leaked directly from the printing facility in Nashik, Maharashtra, before being circulated through a network spread across multiple states.
According to sources linked to the investigation, the paper was allegedly passed from a person associated with the Nashik printing press into a wider distribution chain. The leaked paper is believed to have first reached a doctor based in Gurugram, Haryana. From there, it allegedly moved to Jaipur’s Jamwa Ramgarh area through a man identified as Khatik.
Officials suspect the paper was later supplied to Rakesh Kumar Mandawaria, an MBBS counselling agent operating outside coaching institutes in Sikar.
Sources said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has already detained a person linked to the printing press as part of the ongoing inquiry.
Investigators claim the leaked paper was circulated through a one-to-one network and eventually reached students and coaching contacts in Delhi, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala and Uttarakhand.
To avoid suspicion, the paper was allegedly shared in the form of a “guess paper” , a common term used in coaching circles for practice material based on predicted exam patterns.
Officials suspect the paper had been in circulation nearly two weeks before the examination. It was reportedly sold at prices ranging from Rs 30,000 to as high as Rs 28 lakh.
One student from Rajasthan’s Nagaur district allegedly paid Rs 28 lakh after arriving in Sikar days before the exam. During questioning, the student reportedly told investigators he was informed over the phone that the “paper had arrived”.
The alleged leak came to light after a series of messages circulated shortly before the examination.
Investigators said Rakesh allegedly shared the paper with an MBBS student from Sikar who was studying in Kerala. A day before the exam, the student reportedly forwarded the document to his father, who operated a paying guest (PG) accommodation facility in Sikar.
The message accompanying the paper allegedly read: “This is what will come in tomorrow’s exam.”
Believing it to be useful study material, the hostel operator is said to have distributed it among girls staying at the hostel.
After the examination concluded, the hostel operator reportedly approached a teacher at a coaching institute to verify whether the questions matched the actual paper.
Investigators later found that all 90 Biology questions and all 45 Chemistry questions asked in the NEET examination were present in the circulated “guess paper”, which contained 281 questions.
Officials were particularly surprised that the Chemistry section allegedly matched the actual exam paper word-for-word and in the exact same sequence.
Following the discovery, the hostel operator first approached the local police station in Sikar. However, he later told investigators that his concerns were initially dismissed.
He subsequently contacted the National Testing Agency (NTA), which then shared the information with the Intelligence Bureau (IB). The Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group (SOG) later launched a detailed investigation.
The SOG initially detained around 15 persons, including the hostel operator, before expanding raids to other locations including Dehradun and Jhunjhunu.
Rakesh Kumar Mandawaria has also been detained for questioning.
Investigating agencies believe Sikar may have become a new hotspot for organised exam leak networks due to its rapidly growing coaching industry.
Over the past few years, Sikar has witnessed a major rise in NEET and JEE coaching institutes, with many students shifting there from Kota because of lower costs and increasing competition.
Officials suspect that while the paper may have first surfaced in Jaipur, its widest circulation took place in Sikar through local coaching and counselling contacts.
The investigation is now focused on identifying the mastermind behind the alleged nationwide network.
- With inputs from agencies
