A CBI team takes custody of an accused arrested in connection with the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, in Nashik, Tuesday, May 12, 2026.  Photo |PTI
India

Whodunit! ‘Guess Paper’ out before exam

Before the exam, a 150-page document titled “Guess Paper” was allegedly circulated,which reportedly contained 410 questions, of which 135 have exactly matched the actual examination paper.

Rajesh Asnani

JAIPUR: With the country’s largest medical entrance examination, NEET UG 2026, being scrapped, crucial details are emerging in Rajasthan about the question paper leak. Before the exam was scheduled to be conducted on May 3, a 150-page document titled “Guess Paper” was allegedly circulated among students in Sikar and Jhunjhunu districts. The document reportedly contained 410 questions, of which 135 have exactly matched the actual examination paper.

According to sources in the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan Police, there were similarities in the sequence of options, language, punctuation marks, and even commas, and full stops. The SOG has so far detained 15 people in the case, including Manish Yadav from Jaipur and Rakesh Mandawaria from Sikar.

Sources indicate that more prominent names could emerge as the probe deepens. Yadav is said to be the mastermind of the operation in Rajasthan. Mandawaria, on the other hand, operates an office under the name R K Consultancy.

Sources say the Rajasthan Police compared the alleged “Guess Paper” with the NEET question paper. They found that all 90 Biology questions and all 45 Chemistry questions matched the ones given in the “Guess Paper”

According to SOG insiders, the “Guess Paper” and other materials reached coaching hubs in Sikar almost a month ahead of the NEET exam and was allegedly sold to aspirants for as high as Rs 7 lakh in Rajasthan on the night before the exam. This prompted a probe by the SOG, which included raids and questioning of multiple individuals.

Preliminary investigations suggest that a student from Churu, currently pursuing MBBS at a college in Kerala, allegedly sent the question bank to a friend in Sikar on May 1. On May 2, the friend reportedly passed the material to a PG accommodation operator in Sikar, who then shared it among students residing there. Sources say the document subsequently spread among students and career counsellors.

After the examination on May 3, a PG operator in Sikar reportedly filed a complaint with the Udyog Nagar police station and the National Testing Agency (NTA), alleging that a large number of students had received the suspected question bank before the exam.

After the answer key and exam-related discussions surfaced online on May 6, discussions intensified among students and coaching institutes regarding a purported “question bank” that closely resembled the actual paper.

NTA acknowledges receiving inputs 4 days after exam

On May 7, the NTA acknowledged receiving inputs regarding alleged irregularities, four days after the examination. The agency stated that the matter had surfaced from Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. Around the same time, SOG teams reached Sikar and Jhunjhunu. The Rajasthan SOG then launched a probe and by May 12, 13 people were arrested.

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