NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has claimed in its chargesheet that the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak was organised through a multi-state criminal conspiracy involving the National Testing Agency (NTA) experts, middlemen, and candidates.
The CBI alleged that coaching operators and intermediaries systematically established contact with the subject experts well before the examination process, adding that several accused maintained continuous communication with the experts, arranged meetings and facilitated payments to secure access to the confidential papers.
The final report claimed that the paper-leak network used WhatsApp, Telegram and digital files to circulate question papers before the exam, adding that the NTA experts were recruited into conspiracy months before the exam, and the coaching network allegedly paid lakhs for confidential papers.
The agency has alleged that the conspiracy behind the paper leak was not a last-minute operation but “a carefully planned exercise”. It alleged that the subject experts used to obtain confidential question papers, which passed through a chain of intermediaries to candidates in exchange for huge sums of money.
The charge sheet claimed that the original educational certificates, blank signed cheques, and other documents were exchanged between members of the network as security for payments promised after delivery of the leaked question papers.
The CBI has arrayed 13 accused, including three NTA-appointed subject experts, in its charge sheet. The agency has claimed that forensic analysis of seized electronic devices, chat records, recovered documents, and witness statements collectively establish the alleged criminal conspiracy, abuse of official position by public servants, and illegal circulation of confidential examination material before the NEET-UG 2026 examination.