On Thursday, a Delhi court ordered five individuals to be held in police custody for seven days regarding the alleged NEET paper leak case. Special Judge Ajay Gupta noted that the allegations suggested the involvement of an organized gang in leaking and distributing confidential examination papers for financial gain. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sought the custody of Yash Yadav, Mangilal Khatik, Vikash Biwal, Dinesh Biwal, and Shubham Madhukar Khairnar to further investigate the conspiracy and recover incriminating materials. The court emphasized the necessity of custodial interrogation to ascertain the source of the leak and identify other individuals involved. The NEET-UG exam, held on May 3, 2026, was allegedly compromised after the question paper was circulated in PDF format via WhatsApp before the exam date. The CBI claims that Shubham Khairnar procured the leaked paper from a contact in Pune, who obtained it from the National Testing Agency (NTA), and facilitated its distribution to Yash Yadav, who allegedly entered into a ₹10 lakh (approximately $12,000 USD) deal with Mangilal Khatik to disseminate the leaked questions. The CBI has expressed the need for custody to examine deleted chats and mobile phones seized from the accused, aiming to uncover the broader conspiracy and identify any officials from the NTA involved in the leak. The defense counsel opposed the custody, arguing that the arrests were unlawful and that sufficient evidence had already been gathered.