NEET UG 2026 cheating racket busted hours before the exam
Delhi Police Crime Branch busted a NEET UG 2026 cheating racket hours before the national medical entrance, rescuing 18 students and arresting 4 suspects, police said.
NEET UG 2026 cheating racket: how the bust unfolded
The operation began on May 2, 2026 after a tip-off from Surat City Police. Delhi Police carried out searches in Mahipalpur hotels, including the Hotel Anand Lok Inn, and traced a Ghaziabad flat where students were being held.
Investigators say the students were isolated under the pretense of studying “important questions.” Those materials were fabricated by the gang to create a false sense of a controlled leak.
NEET UG 2026 cheating racket: who was arrested and how students were targeted
Four people were taken into custody. Police described an organised inter-state network: a pathology lab operator from Bihar acted as the ringleader, a medical graduate prepared deceptive fake "leak" papers, a Surat-based agent targeted wealthy parents and aspirants from Gujarat, and a logistics manager from Lucknow arranged hideouts.
Families were charged between ₹20,00,000–₹30,00,000 for promised MBBS admission facilitation, officials said. The scheme relied on fear and the perceived promise of exclusive access to exam material.
Immediate steps for rescued students and exam status
All 18 rescued students received professional counselling to address trauma and stress. Authorities treated them as victims of the fraud. They were permitted to sit the NEET UG 2026 exam on May 3, 2026 , officials confirmed.
Delhi Police said the operation aimed to protect the integrity of the exam and to stop exploitation of aspirants and parents just before test day.
Official advisory and what aspirants should do
The National Testing Agency (NTA) and Delhi Police issued a joint warning to aspirants: ignore purported leaked papers shared on WhatsApp or Telegram. These are fake and part of fraud schemes.
Report any agent asking for original documents, blank cheques or large payments to your nearest Cyber Crime station. Trust only official exam notices and updates published on neet.nta.nic.in .
Police did not immediately detail charges filed or the full list of evidence recovered. Investigations are ongoing across state lines to dismantle the wider network.
Students and parents who feel they have been targeted are advised to contact local police or Cyber Crime units and to keep records of any communication or payment demands.