CBI Arrests Second Mastermind in NEET-UG Paper Leak from Pune

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a senior female Botany teacher from Pune on Saturday, identifying her as the second mastermind behind the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-UG 2026 question paper leak.

The suspect, Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, served as an expert on the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) paper-setting committee, granting her unrestricted access to both the Botany and Zoology question papers. Her arrest follows the capture of retired chemistry lecturer P.V. Kulkarni, whom CBI investigators previously labelled the kingpin of the multi-state racket.

The Inside Racket: How the Paper Was Leaked

According to CBI, Mandhare utilized the same operational method as Kulkarni to monetize the confidential documents.

During April 2026, Mandhare used accomplice Manisha Waghmare—a Pune beauty parlour owner arrested on May 14—to recruit wealthy medical aspirants. Mandhare then conducted exclusive coaching sessions at her Pune residence. During these classes, she dictated specific questions from the upcoming exam, forcing students to copy them verbatim into their notebooks and highlight them in their textbooks.

The CBI confirmed that the majority of these dictated topics matched the actual question paper used during the nationwide exam on May 3.

The ongoing probe has exposed that two distinct sets of question papers—one handwritten and one typed—leaked directly from the NTA headquarters through Kulkarni and Mandhare.

“This is the first time in paper leak probes we have found the source of the leak at the NTA,” a CBI official said on condition of anonymity. “Once the paper was leaked and its PDFs hit messaging groups, there could have been hundreds of beneficiaries. We will trace all of them, but first, we are targeting the source of the leak and their immediate associates.”

The Digital Trail and Countrywide Network

The CBI has mapped the digital distribution network that spread the exam paper across India after the initial theft.

The chain allegedly began in late April when Nashik-based middleman Shubham Khairnar coordinated with Yash Yadav in Gurugram. Khairnar offered to supply 500 to 600 compromised physics, chemistry, and biology questions to a buyer named Mangilal for ₹10–12 lakh, demanding a student’s academic documents and a blank cheque as security.

On April 29, Yadav allegedly received the leaked papers via encrypted Telegram PDF files and forwarded them to Mangilal. Mangilal then distributed printed copies and answer keys to his three relatives taking the test, his son’s friends, and a local teacher named Satyanarayan. The CBI has since recovered incriminating digital footprints from Mangilal’s phone.

Pan-India Crackdown and Suspensions

The federal agency has arrested nine individuals across five states in just four days:

• Pune (Maharashtra): Manisha Mandhare, P.V. Kulkarni, and Manisha Waghmare.
• Ahilyanagar & Nashik (Maharashtra): Dhananjay Lokhanda and Shubham Khairnar.
• Jaipur (Rajasthan): Mangilal Biwal (Khatik), Vikas Biwal, and Dinesh Biwal.
• Gurugram (Haryana): Yash Yadav.

Over the last 24 hours, special CBI teams raided six locations nationwide, seizing laptops, mobile phones, bank statements, and incriminating documents. The agency initially registered the criminal case on May 12, following an official complaint from the Ministry of Education. Officials confirmed that the entire NTA paper-setting panel and senior executives remain under intense scrutiny, with more arrests expected shortly.