13 May,2026 04:39 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
The CBI is probing a broader network allegedly involving the paper leak. File Pic/AFP
The investigation into the alleged NEET paper leak case gathered pace on Wednesday after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took three suspects into custody for questioning in Maharashtra's Ahilyanagar district, reported the IANS.
Officials said the suspects are being interrogated at the office of the Superintendent of Police in Ahilyanagar. Sources indicated that Dhananjay Lokhande is believed to be among those currently under questioning.
A Mumbai-based CBI team has reportedly been stationed in Ahilyanagar since Tuesday as part of the agency's wider investigation into the nationwide examination leak case.
According to officials, investigators are also scrutinising the possible involvement of several other individuals who have come under the agency's radar during the probe, the news agency reported.
The questioning is focused on establishing the precise role played by the three suspects in the alleged circulation and distribution of the leaked NEET-UG 2026 examination paper.
The latest action by the CBI follows disclosures allegedly made by Shubham Khairnar, who was earlier arrested in Nashik in connection with the case, according to the IANS.
Khairnar is suspected of having played a significant role in procuring and distributing the leaked examination paper across several states.
Meanwhile, a woman was also detained from the Bibwewadi area of Pune and later handed over to the CBI for further questioning.
Amitesh Kumar, Commissioner of Pune City Police, confirmed the development.
"We interrogated her and handed her over to the CBI for further investigation," Kumar told IANS.
However, police officials declined to disclose additional details regarding the woman's alleged involvement in the suspected leak network.
The developments come amid an expanding investigation into the NEET-UG 2026 controversy, which resulted in the cancellation of the examination conducted on May 3.
The examination had been taken by more than 22 lakh students across India before allegations emerged that the question paper had been leaked ahead of the test.
The CBI is currently probing a broader network allegedly involving middlemen, distributors and beneficiaries operating across multiple states, as per the IANS.
In a related development, Khairnar was remanded to two-day CBI transit custody by the Killa Court in Mumbai.
The central agency is expected to produce him before a court in Delhi on Thursday.
(with IANS inputs)
