The history of leaking of competitive examination papers in India is more than two decades old. From CAT exam of 2003 to NEET-UG of 2026, education mafias have not only played with the future of lakhs of students but have also caused huge damage to the reputation of the country. Let us know about the 4 most notorious paper leak gangs of the country, their working methods and the action taken against them…
1. Ranjit Don Gang (CAT 2003 paper leaked)
Kumar Suman Singh alias Ranjit Don, who hails from Nalanda district of Bihar, is considered to be the initial face of the education mafia in the country. After the CAT paper leak of 2003, the name of this gang spread nationally. Ranjit Don’s network was spread very strongly mainly in three states. Maharashtra (from where the paper was stolen), Delhi (where the paper was sold) and Bihar (from where the gang operated). In 2003, CAT paper was printed in IBPS Press, Mumbai. Sanjeev Kumar, a daily wage laborer of the press, handed over this paper to Ranjeet’s associates in Thane, in return for which Sanjeev’s father received Rs 18 lakh and Sanjeev received Rs 3.25 lakh. After this, solved papers were sold to students for Rs 2 to 4 lakh in a hotel in Mahipalpur, Delhi.
The way to work
Ranjit Don Gang used to get the question paper in advance with the connivance of the printing press or the postal department employees. Once the deal was finalized, he would deposit the original documents and advance money of the candidates, so that no one could renege. Just one night before the examination, the candidates were taken to hotels in Delhi or Patna and their mobiles were kept. Here hired teachers used to solve the papers and the candidates were made to memorize the answers at night and were sent to the examination center in the morning. In the end, photocopies of the answers were burnt to destroy evidence.
Status of action against Ranjit Don gang
In the 2003 CAT case, two CBI cases are going on against Ranjit Don, one in Delhi and one in Patna. He has not been punished even after 20 years.
- Delhi Case: CBI had filed the charge sheet in early 2004. Surprisingly, the debate in this case started only in July 2019 and further proceedings are still going on. The next hearing was fixed for July 28.
- Patna Case: In March 2004, a second case of fraud, conspiracy and paper theft was registered, which is still at the trial stage. The next hearing will be held on August 21.
2. Doctor gang of Latur (NEET-UG 2026 case)
This is one of the latest and most organized gangs, in which medical professionals, coaching operators and government translators were working together. Their network extended to Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan and Haryana.
The way to work
The gang arrested P.V., a translator on the panel of NTA (National Testing Agency). Got the paper leaked through Kulkarni. Dr. Manoj Bhagwanrao Shirure, a pediatrician who runs Siddhivinayak Hospital in Latur (Maharashtra), made his hospital the center of the paper leak. He gave the chemistry paper to the son of coaching director Shivraj Motegaonkar, in exchange for which he took Rs 5 lakh. Shivraj Motegaonkar was a big coaching operator and he also had a YouTube channel named ‘Motegaonkar Sirs RCC’, which had 1.70 lakh subscribers. This gang sold PDF files of leaked question papers on Telegram for Rs 10 lakh each.
Status of action against Latur doctor gang
In this case, the investigating agencies have arrested a total of 13 people including teachers and students from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurgaon, Nashik, Pune, Latur and Ahilyanagar. Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court rejected the bail pleas of accused Dr. Manoj Shirure and co-accused Manisha Sanjay Waghmare saying that they have damaged the reputation of the country and caused a huge loss of Rs 600 crore to the exchequer. This matter is still under investigation and trial.
3. Sanjeev Mukhiya Gang (NEET-UG 2024 Case)
Sanjeev Kumar alias Sanjeev Mukhiya is a notorious name from Bihar, who has been involved in paper theft and leak cases of many other exams. Bihar Police had initially named Sanjeev Mukhiya in the FIR registered in the NEET-UG 2024 paper theft case. The police suspected that since he had run such rackets before, he might be the brain behind this leak too.
The way to work
The Sanjeev Mukhiya gang was adept at opening heavy iron sealed boxes from printing presses, transportation or examination centers without leaving any trace of tampering. To seal the deal, this gang used to collect original educational documents and blank checks from the candidates in advance and then take them to a safe house the night before the examination and deposit their mobile phones. After this, he used to memorize the answers of the leaked question papers and send them to the examination centre. Apart from this, Sanjeev Mukhiya’s son (Dr. Shiv Kumar) used to carry out the rigging by purchasing high-tech Bluetooth devices from Delhi and making scholars of medical colleges sit in the examination in place of real candidates.
Status of action taken against Sanjeev Mukhiya
On July 23, the CBI said that the investigation found no direct evidence against Sanjeev Mukhiya of his involvement in the NEET-UG 2024 case. The CBI filed a charge sheet in the Patna court against 45 people, but due to lack of evidence, the charge sheet was not filed against Sanjeev Mukhiya, due to which he got bail in this particular case. Although he survived in this one case, but being an accused in other cases of paper theft registered by Bihar Police, he is still on trial. Is in judicial custody.
4. Jagdish Bishnoi Gang of Rajasthan
Jagdish Bishnoi (aka Guruji) of Rajasthan is a vicious mastermind of the paper leak network, who leaked the papers of a dozen of Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) and Staff Selection Board examinations (like SI Recruitment 2021, JEN Recruitment 2020, Constable, and Nursing Grade-II) in the last 15-19 years. Jagadish Bishnoi, a resident of Jalore, was himself a government third grade teacher, who was dismissed in 2020 due to irregularities.
Gang modus operandi
The gang’s network extended to the superintendents of examination centers and employees of printing presses or strong rooms. The gang used to obtain the question paper just before or shortly before the commencement of the examination. After this, solvers and expert teachers would immediately solve the paper and deliver it to the candidates through small brokers. Deals ranging from ₹ 20 lakh to ₹ 40 lakh were made with the candidates and their handwriting diaries, original educational certificates and blank checks were kept with them as guarantees. Before the examination, answers were memorized in safe places. This gang used to make dummy candidates appear in the examination instead of real candidates.
What is the status of action against the gang?
After being absconding for three years, the Special Operations Group (SOG) and SIT of Rajasthan Police arrested Jagdish Bishnoi from Jaipur on 29 February 2024. However, in January 2026, the Rajasthan High Court granted him bail citing technical grounds and delay in the trial. After this, in 2026, the Supreme Court sought his reply on the cancellation of his bail, because he is a history-sheeter and has more than 13 criminal cases registered against him. Based on the revelations made after Bishnoi’s arrest, more than 120 sub-inspectors who were undergoing training were arrested. More than 149 arrests have been made so far in the entire case. Besides, influential people like former RPSC members Babulal Katara and Ramuram Raika have also been arrested and sent to jail.
Has anyone been punished in these gangs?
CBI and police have imposed strict sections on these four gangs, but due to the slow pace of the Indian judicial process and lack of evidence, there has been a delay in reaching the final punishment. Till now none of these main leaders have been finally sentenced, rather the cases are in the trial or hearing stage.
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