The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday arrested five persons and conducted searches at several locations across the country in connection with alleged irregularities and a paper leak in the 2026 undergraduate National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, The Indian Express reported.

The undergraduate National Eligibility cum Entrance Test is conducted for admission to undergraduate medical courses in India.

A spokesperson from the CBI said that the “arrests – three from Jaipur, one from Gurugram, and one from Nashik – mark a swift crackdown” after the central agency filed a first information report on Tuesday.

While the two persons accused from Jaipur were identified as brothers Dinesh Biwal and Mangilal Biwal, the third person was Mangilal Biwal’s son Vikas Biwal, The Hindu reported. Yash Yadav was arrested from Gurugram and Shubham Khairnar from Nashik.

The arrests came after the National Testing Agency on Tuesday cancelled the 2026 NEET-UG that was conducted on May 3 following allegations of a paper leak.

The National Testing Agency, which conducts the entrance test for admission to undergraduate medical courses in India, announced that the test will be re-conducted and that the dates will be notified separately.

The cancellation was ordered as the Rajasthan Special Operations Group began investigating allegations that a “guess paper” circulated before the examination contained questions closely matching the actual paper.

The “guess paper” contained around 410 questions, of which about 120 matched the questions asked in the chemistry section, according to the Rajasthan Police.

On Wednesday, the Maharashtra Police detained two more suspects – Manisha Waghmare and Dhananjay Lokhande – and handed them over to the CBI, The Hindu reported.

The FIR registered in the matter by the CBI was based on a written complaint by the Union Ministry of Education, which invoked charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to criminal conspiracy, cheating, and criminal breach of trust, the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the 2024 Public Examinations Prevention of Unfair Means Act, The Indian Express reported.

An unidentified official told the newspaper that the CBI had seized incriminating materials and electronic devices, including mobile phones, after conducting multiple raids in several locations in the country.

“Several other suspects are under examination, and further searches are underway based on emerging leads,” the newspaper quoted the official as saying.

The 2024 examination was also hit by allegations of paper leaks and irregular grace marks, leading to nationwide protests.