"100 Per Cent Genuine Paper": Inside NEET Leak Factory On Telegram Groups

"100 percent genuine paper."

That is the most common pitch flashing through the Telegram group. The message appears relentlessly, pinned between advertisements for "confirmed sets" and promises of "direct access" to the examination paper even days before the NEET test.

Then come the voice notes - urgent, persuasive, almost rehearsed. Admin claiming to be insiders assure that the NEET paper has already been leaked and can be bought for the right price.

"Paper is original".

Soon, the group is flooded with screenshots of payments allegedly made by customers. Bank transfers, UPI confirmations and blurry chats are reposted repeatedly to create an illusion of credibility, as if each receipt is proof that the leak is real and the deal trustworthy.

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But amid the frenzy, suspicion spreads just as fast. Admins issue warnings against "fake sellers." Screenshots of others of running scams are also shared. Rival groups are branded frauds trying to cash in on the panic surrounding the NEET. Every few minutes, a new message claims that only one source has the "real paper" while everyone else is cheating desperate buyers. It is a chaotic world fuelled by fear, desperation and the high stakes of India's most competitive medical entrance exam, where rumours, scams and promises of leaked papers circulate side by side.

The NEET 2026 paper leak has triggered one of the biggest examination scandals in recent years, with the Centre handing over the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after widespread allegations that the medical entrance exam paper had been leaked before the test. The CBI has since launched a nationwide crackdown, conducting raids across multiple states and arresting several accused, including coaching operators, middlemen and individuals allegedly linked to the examination process.

Investigators claim the leak network operated through private coaching sessions and handwritten question sets in exchange for huge sums of money. Among those arrested is Pune-based chemistry lecturer P.V. Kulkarni, whom the agency has described as a key conspirator with access to the question paper through the National Testing Agency (NTA).

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Amid all of this, Telegram groups such as the "NTA OFFICIAL CHENNAI" continued to operate, lying silent since the news broke out, which NDTV accessed exclusively. While NDTV couldn't independently verify these payment claims, the messages were clearly designed to convince subscribers of the channel to make payments in exchange for the "NEET paper". While the

National Testing Agency stated that these claims are fake, the bigger question is how such networks continue to operate exploiting fear and anxiety of aspirants and their families. Investigators also face a larger challenge in tracking such encrypted platforms.

Speaking to NDTV, a senior police officer said, "these channels operate on fear and students, deep in the pressure of such competitive exams, fall prey. Tracking such channels is a tedious task as they use VPN. Moreover Telegram and other social media companies need to be reached out to and investigators have to rely on them to reveal the identity of such crooks".

At a coaching centre in Delhi, NEET aspirants are meanwhile anxious about appearing for the paper once again. "We did really well in the first test. It was easy. This time they will make it tough and we might not make it. This feels like a collective punishment for no fault of ours," one of them said.

Another said, "every year there is a rumour that the paper has been leaked. We are aware of such Telegram groups, whether they give genuine paper or are scams is different but we expect the NTA and central probe agencies to increase vigilance on such social media platforms. One can never be sure till the test is conducted on if the paper is genuine".