Mumbai, May 13 (IANS) The investigation into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case intensified on Wednesday as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took three suspects into custody for questioning from Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district, while a woman was detained from Pune and later handed over to the central agency for further investigation.

Officials said the three suspects are currently being interrogated at the Ahilyanagar Superintendent of Police’s office. Sources indicated that the accused, Dhananjay Lokhande, is suspected to be among the three individuals being questioned by the agency.

A Mumbai-based CBI team has been camping in Ahilyanagar since Tuesday as part of the probe into the nationwide examination leak case.

Investigators are also reportedly examining the possible involvement of several other individuals who have come under the agency’s radar during the course of the investigation.

Officials said the questioning is aimed at determining the exact role the three suspects played in the alleged circulation and distribution of the leaked NEET examination paper.

The CBI’s move in Ahilyanagar followed disclosures allegedly made by Shubham Khairnar, who was earlier arrested in Nashik in connection with the case. Khairnar is suspected to have played a key role in procuring and distributing the leaked paper across different states.

Meanwhile, Pune Police confirmed that a woman had also been detained in connection with the case, and subsequently, she was handed over to the CBI for further investigation.

Pune City Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said the woman was taken into custody from the Bibwewadi area of Pune. “We interrogated her and handed her over to the CBI for further investigation,” Kumar told IANS.

However, the Police Commissioner declined to disclose further details regarding the woman’s exact role in the alleged paper leak network.

The latest developments came amid an expanding probe into the NEET-UG 2026 controversy, which led to the cancellation of the examination conducted on May 3 for more than 22 lakh students across the country after allegations surfaced that the question paper had been leaked before the test.

The CBI is now investigating the wider network allegedly involved in the leak, including suspected middlemen, distributors and beneficiaries across multiple states.

Meanwhile, Khairnar has been sent to a two-day CBI transit custody by the Killa Court in Mumbai. On Thursday, the investigative agency will present him before a Delhi court.

–IANS

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