CBI questions parents who bought leaked NEET paper for their children

THe telephone exchange Bureau of investigating’s (CBI) dig into into the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak out has widened beyond paper setters, experts and middlemen, with several parents who allegedly purchased leaked call into question papers now coming under the agency’s scanner, officials said.A CBI team comprising eight officers conducted searches on Saturday and Sunday at three to four different premises including a house in the Vidyut Nagar area in Nanded and in Latur after receiving inputs that the family had allegedly procured leaked NEET papers for their daughters. Officials suspect they paid between ₹5- ₹10 lakh to alleged middlemen to obtain the leaked papers before the examination.Investigators believe the racket extended beyond the core network of paper setters and intermediaries and involved financially well-off parents who allegedly paid large sums to secure medical admissions for their children.According to officials, the CBI team arrived in Nanded on Friday and launched the search operation. The officials questioned the parents of a girl who appeared for the NEET-UG on May 3. The parents were interrogated for more than eight hours, officials added.CBI officials also examined electronic devices, documents and communication records, including phone calls and messages exchanged by family members.Officials alleged that in the Nanded case, the girl’s father, a businessman, paid around ₹10 lakh — ₹5 lakh to a middleman and ₹5 lakh to a separate individual — for access to leaked papers. Investigators are probing the girl’s links with a coaching institute in Pune, where she had reportedly stayed for around 15 days for NEET preparation.A private coaching institute, AIB, had displayed flex banners featuring photographs of its top-performing students in Nanded under the tagline “The Results To Come”. Officials said investigators were examining claims related to the student’s expected performance in the examination as part of the broader probe.AIB’s Atul More told HT that he had no information regarding the CBI action.Also Read: Ludhiana: NEET paper leak leaves aspirants stressed, call for action by students“Yes, she was my student and was repeating NEET this year. In our mock tests, she used to score around 400 to 450 marks,” More said. He further said the student had not been associated with the institute for the past 15 days.Officials said searches were also carried out at residences of another parents in Nanded on Sunday morning, after which another CBI team moved towards Latur.Investigators suspect some parents may have circulated leaked papers to others in an attempt to recover part of the money they had paid. They suspect the alleged racket was being operated through a well-organised network spread across Pune, Latur, Nanded and nearby districts.Officials said some parents allegedly paid amounts ranging between ₹10 lakh and ₹25 lakh to gain access to leaked question papers.CBI has already arrested several accused in connection with the case, including alleged masterminds, paper solvers and intermediaries. Investigators are now focusing on tracing the money trail and identifying beneficiaries who may have knowingly availed leaked examination material.Also Read: Be strong, don’t resort to self-harm, Kejriwal urges NEET aspirantsSenior officials said further raids are likely in the coming days as the investigation progresses. The agency is also verifying whether similar transactions took place in other districts and whether additional candidates benefited from leaked papers.The families questioned by the CBI could not immediately be reached for comment.