Rajasthan family at centre of NEET leak row had obtained 2025 paper as well: Sources

Investigators found that all five children of the Biwal family allegedly received the NEET 2025 paper before the exam, while Vikas Biwal, son of alleged kingpin Mangilal, is accused of helping circulate the leaked paper after Rs 65 lakh was allegedly paid to procure it.

In Short

• Brothers Mangi Lal and Dinesh Biwal linked to multiple years of NEET paper leaks
• Rs 65 lakh paid for procuring and distributing leaked papers
• Maharashtra-based network and medical families involved in racket

The Rajasthan family at the heart of this year’s NEET-UG paper leak controversy is believed to have leaked and sold medical entrance exam papers in previous years as well, police sources told India Today.

According to Rajasthan Police sources, brothers Mangi Lal and Dinesh Biwal not only leaked this year’s paper to coaching institutes in Rajasthan’s Sikar, but had also allegedly procured medical entrance exam papers for their family before selling them further to others in previous years.

The brothers were first in Rajasthan Police custody before being arrested by the CBI. Residents of Jaipur district's Jamwa Ramgarh, they emerged as a crucial link in the paper leak network, which allegedly spread to other parts of the country via Sikar.

The NEET paper leak row, which erupted earlier this week, has put at stake the future of 23 lakh students battling to get into India’s premier medical institutes. The controversy has now prompted the government to announce fresh dates for the medical entrance examination and order a CBI probe into the matter.

On Friday, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan admitted there had been a leak, saying there was a “breach in the chain of command” and that the government was taking responsibility.

The Rajasthan Police further found that all five children of the Biwal family had allegedly received the NEET 2025 question paper before the examination.

Vikas Biwal, son of the alleged kingpin Mangilal and currently pursuing MBBS at Sawai Madhopur Medical College, is also accused of being involved in selling the leaked paper further ahead in the chain. Investigators say Rs 65 lakh was paid to procure and distribute the paper in advance.

According to investigators, the papers were sourced through a Maharashtra-based network. Agencies are now probing the larger “forward-to-forward” distribution chain behind the operation.

Three persons arrested from Maharashtra, including a woman, were allegedly part of an admission counsellors’ ring and also come from families with medical backgrounds.

Shubham Khairnar, identified as the source of the leaked paper, is himself a medical student and the son of a practising doctor. Dhananjay Lokhande’s brother is a practising doctor, while Manisha Waghmare’s husband is a dentist.

The prime accused, Shubham Khairnar, is a third-year Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) student. He allegedly handed over the leaked paper to Yash Yadav in Gurugram, from where Yadav further circulated it to Rajasthan-based Mangilal Biwal, who had allegedly purchased the paper for his son Vikas Biwal and his nephews.

Yash Yadav from Haryana, who was studying in Sikar, allegedly came into contact with Mangilal’s family during his preparation period there.

Investigating agencies still believe that the entire racket was orchestrated by the coaching mafia, with those arrested so far being only part of a much larger network.

Coaching institutes in Sikar are also under scrutiny as officials attempt to identify the influential individuals for whom the Biwal family allegedly worked.

Officials believe the NEET 2026 paper leak case is not an ordinary leak but part of a years-long organised parallel network. According to investigators, the racket came to light this year because one member of the network deviated from his assigned role and due to intense competition among coaching centres in Sikar. Otherwise, officials believe the matter could have been suppressed like in previous years.

The leak was allegedly exposed after Dinesh’s son Rishi distributed the papers. Sources said a rival coaching institute, along with a PG accommodation operator, had alerted the National Testing Agency (NTA) about the irregularities amid an ongoing “coaching war” in Sikar.

- Ends
Inputs from Dviyesh Singh