Mumbai, May 13: The investigation into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case intensified on Wednesday as the Central Bureau of Investigation detained three suspects from Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district for questioning, while another woman was taken into custody in Pune and later handed over to the central agency.
Officials said the three suspects are currently being questioned at the office of the Superintendent of Police in Ahilyanagar as investigators attempt to determine their alleged role in the circulation and distribution of the leaked examination paper.
Sources indicated that one of the detained individuals is suspected to be Dhananjay Lokhande, although officials have not yet issued a formal confirmation regarding his involvement.
A Mumbai-based CBI team has reportedly been stationed in Ahilyanagar since Tuesday as part of the agency’s ongoing probe into the nationwide examination leak case.
Investigators are also examining the possible involvement of several other individuals who have come under the agency’s scrutiny during the course of the investigation.
According to officials, the latest action follows disclosures allegedly made by Shubham Khairnar, who was earlier arrested in Nashik in connection with the case. Khairnar is suspected to have played a significant role in procuring and distributing the leaked NEET examination paper across multiple states.
Meanwhile, Pune City Police confirmed that a woman detained from the Bibwewadi area of Pune was later handed over to the CBI for further investigation.
Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said the woman was interrogated by local police before being transferred to the central agency.
“We interrogated her and handed her over to the CBI for further investigation,” Kumar told IANS.
However, police officials declined to disclose details regarding the woman’s alleged role or links to the wider paper leak network.
The NEET-UG 2026 controversy escalated after allegations emerged that the question paper had been leaked before the examination conducted on May 3. The incident led to the cancellation of the examination, which had been attended by more than 22 lakh students across the country.
The CBI is currently probing what officials describe as a wider interstate network allegedly involving middlemen, distributors and beneficiaries connected to the leak.
Meanwhile, Khairnar was produced before the Killa Court in Mumbai and has been sent to two-day CBI transit custody. Officials said he is expected to be presented before a Delhi court on Thursday as part of the ongoing investigation.
The probe continues as authorities attempt to trace the full extent of the alleged network involved in the paper leak and determine how examination materials were accessed and circulated prior to the test.
