2 question sets, NTA experts turned kingpins, and a beauty parlour operator as conduit: Inside the probe into NEET leak

THe exchange Bureau of investigating (CBI) on sabbatum arrested another alleged organize in the subject Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-UG 2026 question paper leak case. The accused is a senior teacher of botany (biology) from Pune who was also part of the National Testing Agency's (NTA) paper-setting panel for the medical entrance exam.In a statement issued on Saturday, the agency said Manisha Gurunath Mandhare was arrested after an extensive investigation.Her arrest came a day after the CBI tracked down and arrested the alleged main conspirator in the case, chemistry teacher PV Kulkarni. He was also involved in the examination process through the NTA, which gave him access to question papers.CBI probe into NEET leak caseAccording to the agency, Mandhare allegedly mobilised prospective NEET candidates through Pune-based Manisha Waghmare, who operates a beauty parlour and was arrested on May 14.She also reportedly held coaching sessions for these students at her home in Pune, as mentioned in an earlier HT report.It is worth noting that Kulkarni had also gathered students and ran special classes from his residence in Pune, as per CBI officials.Both had complete access to question papersThe CBI said Mandhare had full access to the Botany and Zoology sections of the question papers. “She was involved in the NEET UG 2026 examination process and appointed by NTA as an expert. She had complete access to the Botany and Zoology question papers,” the agency said.During these coaching sessions, she allegedly discussed several Botany and Zoology questions, asked students to write them in notebooks and mark them in their textbooks.“Majority of these questions tallied with the actual question paper of the NEET UG 2026 examination held on May 3,” the CBI said.Meanwhile, the CBI said Kulkarni was also linked to the NEET examination process through the NTA, giving him access to confidential papers.He is accused of dictating questions, answer choices and correct responses during the special classes, HT reported earlier. Students wrote down these details in notebooks and that they later “exactly tallied" with the original NEET-UG 2026 question paper, officials said.Students paid lakhs of rupees to attend sessionsInvestigators alleged that Mandhare shared leaked questions and answers with selected students and collected fees worth several lakh rupees.Meanwhile, students also paid several lakh rupees to attend Kulkarni's sessions, where they copied down questions in notebooks, officials told news agency PTI. Exact amounts were not known yet.2 sets of question papers leakedUp until now, the CBI has said the investigation found that “two sets of question papers, one handwritten and one typed, had been leaked from the NTA” and that Kulkarni and Mandhare were allegedly responsible, officials who did not want to be named told HT.Officials also said that the “entire committee that set the paper and other senior officers of NTA are under the scanner” and further arrests could follow in the coming days.In a first, source of paper leak found at NTAThis was the first time an investigation into a paper leak had traced the source back to the NTA itself, an officer requesting anonymity told HT.“Once the paper was leaked and its PDFs were out on messaging groups, there could have been hundreds of beneficiaries. We will trace all of them but first we are working on the source of the leak and their associates,” he added.The agency is also examining whether Kulkarni and Mandhare had any role in earlier paper leak cases.How papers moved after Kulkarni’s coaching classesThe CBI has traced the route through which the papers were allegedly circulated after Kulkarni's classes.Investigators said Nashik resident Shubham Khairnar informed Gurugram-based Yash Yadav in April that a person identified as Mangilal Biwal and also as Mangilal Khatik in official and court records, was willing to pay ₹10 to ₹12 lakh to obtain leaked papers for his younger son.On April 29, Khairnar allegedly informed Yadav that he could arrange around 500 to 600 questions covering physics, chemistry and biology that could “ensure admission in reputed medical colleges”. He also asked for Class 10 and 12 documents, a NEET roll number and a cheque as a security deposit from Mangilal.The same day, Yadav allegedly received PDF copies of the leaked papers through Telegram and sent them to Mangilal.This agreement depended on nearly 150 questions matching the final examination paper, against a payment of ₹10 lakh, officials said. Mangilal allegedly handed printed copies to three relatives appearing for the examination, his son Vikas's friends and a teacher named Satyanarayan.He is also accused of distributing papers and answer sheets in return for money. The CBI said incriminating material was recovered from his mobile phone.Probe so farSo far, nine people from five states have been arrested over four days. They include Mandhare, Kulkarni and Waghmare from Pune, Dhananjay Lokhanda from Ahilyanagar, Khairnar from Nashik, Mangilal Biwal, also identified as Mangilal Khatik, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal from Jaipur, and Yadav from Gurugram.The agency said on Saturday that searches were carried out at six places across the country over the last 24 hours. Officials recovered documents, laptops, bank records and mobile phones that may be linked to the case.‘22 lakh NEET kids cheated’: Rahul Gandhi demands resignation of education ministerLeader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said in a video message on X that “22 lakh NEET kids have been cheated” and demanded accountability from Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.“22 lakh NEET kids have been cheated. But Modi ji isn't saying a word. Remove Dharmendra Pradhan ji right now, or take responsibility yourself. Modi ji, SACK Dharmendra Pradhan ji NOW,” he wrote in the post. The NEET-UG examination conducted on May 3 was cancelled after alleged irregularities surfaced. The education minister later announced that a re-test would be held on June 21.