How a forwarded many times WhatsApp message caused NEET UG to be canceled

The discovery of a possible breach in Rajasthan's National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG), 2026, started with the automatic fineprint "Forwarded many times" on a WhatsApp message. This WhatsApp chat was discovered by investigators tracking down a "guess paper." According to sources, the communication revealed the leak's widespread nature, despite officials' original hopes that it was an isolated incident.A guess paper is typically a list of anticipated questions created before to a test. These papers frequently draw from coaching materials, sample exams, trends from prior years, and anticipated subjects. Board exams and competitive entrance exams frequently feature them. There are 45 questions in the NEET Chemistry segment, although it is said that the test employed four separate sets of question sheets. The SOG subsequently stated that there were "striking similarities" between the real paper and more than 100 questions from the Biology and Chemistry sections combined.Nearly 600 of the exam's 720 points might be explained by the parallels, officials connected to the investigation told ANI. "It is reported that this guess paper had been circulating among the students well in advance; it began reaching them as early as 15 days to a month prior to the actual examination," Bansal continued. The guess paper, which is also accessible in the public domain, serves as the basis for our investigation.

The "guess paper" was created by an MBBS student from Churu who was enrolled in a Keralan medical college. According to the inquiry thus far, investigators believe the student mailed the paper to an acquaintance in Sikar, Rajasthan, on May 1. It was then purportedly given to students residing at the facility by a paying guest accommodation owner. According to reports, the content then circulated via WhatsApp groups and coaching networks. Chats that were found had the designation "forwarded many times," according to investigators.According to a PTI story that cited police sources, it might have been shared 42 hours prior to the exam. Two days prior to the exam, the document was purportedly auctioned for up to ₹5 lakh. On the eve of the test, the price allegedly decreased to about ₹30,000, according to sources in the investigative team who spoke with news outlets. Thirteen suspects from Sikar and Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, as well as Dehradun in Uttarakhand, had been arrested by May 11.