The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has detained three suspects in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district and a woman from Pune for questioning in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case. The suspects, including Dhananjay Lokhande, are currently being interrogated at the Ahilyanagar Superintendent of Police’s office. A Mumbai-based CBI team has been actively investigating the nationwide examination leak case in Ahilyanagar.
Investigators are looking into the potential involvement of other individuals linked to the leaked NEET examination paper. The focus of the questioning is to determine the roles played by the suspects in circulating and distributing the leaked paper. Shubham Khairnar, previously arrested in Nashik, is believed to have played a significant role in procuring and circulating the leaked paper across states.
Additionally, a woman detained in Pune in connection with the case has been handed over to the CBI for further investigation. Pune City Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar confirmed the detention of the woman from the Bibwewadi area of Pune. The ongoing probe into the NEET-UG 2026 controversy, which led to the exam’s cancellation for over 22 lakh students, is expanding to uncover the wider network involved in the leak.
The CBI is delving into the suspected network of middlemen, distributors, and beneficiaries across multiple states. Khairnar has been remanded to two-day CBI transit custody by the Killa Court in Mumbai and is set to appear before a Delhi court. The investigation continues to unfold as authorities work to unravel the complexities of the alleged paper leak network.
