NEW DELHI: In a shocking data breach ahead of NEET-PG 2025 counselling, personal details of thousands of medical aspirants--including their names, contact numbers, addresses, scores, and department preferences--have been found on sale across multiple websites. The data, allegedly leaked from official records, is being peddled to touts, coaching institutes, and marketing firms for sums ranging between Rs 3,500 and Rs 15,000.
The NEET-PG 2025 was held on August 3. The counselling is expected to start by the third week of October. The timing of the data breach has left aspirants anxious about the misuse of their personal information and the integrity of the examination process itself.
A simple online search with terms like “NEET PG 2025 student data” throws up several portals openly advertising “student databases” as commodities. When TNIE contacted one such website—studentdatabases.com—it offered a sample list of 100 aspirants from Delhi and demanded Rs 10,000 for full access. The rate was eventually brought down to Rs 7,000 after negotiation. Another website operator claimed their portal would soon be deleted after receiving a copyright strike and a DMCA notice.
A sample dataset accessed by this newspaper contained details of 100 candidates, including their application IDs, roll numbers, names, father’s names, nationality, category, NEET-PG scores and ranks, email IDs, mobile numbers, states, cities, and genders. Random verification revealed that the profiles were genuine. Several students confirmed they had appeared for the NEET-PG 2025 examination and had since received unsolicited calls from individuals posing as admission counsellors.
“Yes, I have received multiple calls from people claiming to be counsellors. One of them even said he could secure me a seat in a government medical college in Tamil Nadu for Rs 25 lakh. When I asked how they got my number, they refused to say,” said one aspirant on the condition of anonymity.
Many other candidates reported similar experiences, saying they were approached by callers offering to “block” postgraduate seats in MD or MS courses for hefty sums.
No official comment was received from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare till the time of going to press.
The revelation has sparked outrage among resident doctors’ associations, who have demanded immediate action. Dr Devaunshi Kaul, President of the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), termed the leak “a grave violation of privacy and data integrity” that exposes future doctors to potential exploitation.
“This is a serious breach of confidentiality, data protection, and ethical conduct. Coaching institutes, admission brokers, and commercial intermediaries are allegedly using this information for monetary and promotional gain. Such reprehensible acts not only exploit thousands of hard-working doctors but also erode public trust in the fairness and transparency of national examinations," Dr Kaul said.
She called on the National Board of Examinations (NBE), the Health Ministry, and the Cyber Crime Division to launch an immediate investigation.
Echoing similar concerns, Dr Rohan Krishnan, Chief Patron of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), said the breach has once again raised questions over the credibility of the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences.
“In NEET-PG examinations, we need to be very cautious. The credibility of the National Board is being questioned again because of this issue. This also puts the online examination system under scrutiny. The Board’s reluctance to release answer keys has already drawn criticism. Now, with the data leak, the NBE must own up to its responsibilities, face the challenges, and take immediate corrective action," Dr Krishnan said.
