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New Delhi: In a significant move, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has apprehended five individuals and is executing searches at various locations nationwide as part of the NEET UG paper leak investigation, officials reported on Wednesday.

The arrests include three suspects from Jaipur, one from Gurugram, and another from Nashik, with additional individuals under scrutiny in multiple cities, potentially leading to more arrests, they noted.

One of the detained, 30-year-old Shubham Khairnar from Nashik, is being transported to Delhi for further interrogation after a local magistrate granted the CBI a transit remand.

Khairnar was taken into custody by Nashik Police on Tuesday following a request from the Rajasthan Police.

After assuming control of the investigation on Tuesday, the CBI has been conducting searches across the country based on new leads.

The agency has confiscated various digital devices, including mobile phones and laptops, from the suspects, which will undergo forensic analysis to identify messaging applications that may have been used to disseminate the exam papers.

As per sources within the agency, the CBI is collaborating with the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Rajasthan, which had initiated a preliminary inquiry into the matter.

The CBI is diligently following all leads related to the alleged paper leak through extensive technical and forensic evaluations, ensuring a thorough, unbiased, and professional investigation, an informed official stated.

On Wednesday, the CBI also visited the National Testing Agency (NTA) headquarters to gather documents pertinent to the NEET UG examination, which was annulled due to the paper leak allegations.

The team engaged with officials involved in the examination process during their visit.

The CBI had previously filed an FIR and assembled teams to investigate the NEET UG alleged paper leak case, which led to the cancellation of the exam conducted on May 3.

The NEET-UG 2026 was held in 551 cities across India and 14 international centers, with nearly 2.3 million candidates registered for the test, administered by the NTA.

According to the NTA, reports of alleged malpractice surfaced on the evening of May 7, just four days after the examination took place. The NTA escalated these concerns to central agencies the following morning for independent verification and necessary actions.

The SOG of Rajasthan claimed that a chemistry guess paper, allegedly shared among students prior to the exam, contained around 410 questions, including approximately 120 that were featured in the actual test.