How NEET exam was leaked: ‘2 sets of questions papers’, 3 masterminds and a 5-state network

THe alleged leak out of the NEET-UG 2026 exam paper has widened dramatically, with the CBI at present probing non simply a network of middlemen and coaching links, but also insiders within the National Testing Agency (NTA).The investigation has already led to nine arrests across five states in four days and has forced more than 2.2 million aspirants to prepare for a re-examination scheduled for June 21.According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), two separate sets of question papers were leaked by two members of the NTA’s paper-setting committee and then circulated through a chain of intermediaries before reaching students ahead of the May 3 exam.The CBI has arrested Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, a senior botany teacher from Pune, and PV Kulkarni from Latur, both of whom were appointed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) as experts on the NEET-UG 2026 paper-setting panel. How the leak started inside NTAMandhare and Kulkarni had direct access to the botany and zoology papers because she was appointed by the NTA as an expert for the examination process.“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 probe agency said.Investigators said Mandhare allegedly began sharing questions with selected students during April itself – nearly weeks before the examination.At her Pune residence, she allegedly conducted coaching sessions where students were asked to write down questions and mark answers in textbooks.“During classes, Mandhare explained and disclosed various questions from Botany and Zoology subjects and made the students note down the same in their notebooks and also mark in their textbooks. The majority of these questions tallied with the actual question paper of NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3,” the CBI said.Officials said Kulkarni allegedly played a similar role with the chemistry section of the paper.Coaching notes, PDFs and Gurugram dealerAs the investigation progressed, officials said, two sets of leaked material emerged from inside the NTA — one handwritten and another typed.Officials alleged that Kulkarni leaked the chemistry paper, while Mandhare leaked botany and zoology questions. From there, the leaked questions allegedly moved through a chain of middlemen spread across six states.Investigators believe the questions first circulated as coaching notes prepared during the Pune classes. Those notes were then allegedly converted into a PDF containing nearly 500 to 600 questions.That PDF was later circulated through WhatsApp and Telegram groups ahead of the examination.Officials said the leaked material travelled from Nashik-based accused Shubham Khairnar to Gurugram-based Yash Yadav.Yadav allegedly sold the paper set to Mangilal Biwal, also identified in court records as Mangilal Khatik, for ₹10 lakh. Investigators alleged the deal depended on at least 150 questions matching the actual NEET paper.The CBI said Mangilal later distributed printed copies among relatives, his son’s friends and a teacher identified as Satyanarayan.Beauty parlour linkThe CBI has also identified Pune-based beauty parlour owner Manisha Waghmare as a crucial link in the network.Waghmare, arrested on May 14, allegedly connected students with the NTA insiders and helped mobilise candidates for the coaching sessions.Investigators told the court that she had access to the paper from at least April 27 – almost a week before the exam – in alleged “connivance with other accused” and insiders within the NTA.Officials now suspect that the operation functioned through three key layers – insiders with access to papers, recruiters who connected students and accused, and middlemen who circulated and sold the material.Nine arrests in four daysSo far, nine people have been arrested across five states in connection with the case.Those arrested include Mandhare, Kulkarni and Waghmare from Pune; Dhananjay Lokhanda from Ahilyanagar; Shubham Khairnar from Nashik; Mangilal Biwal alias Mangilal Khatik, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal from Jaipur; and Yash Yadav from Gurugram.Officials familiar with the probe said investigators are now examining the role of the full committee involved in setting the NEET-UG 2026 paper.One official said the “entire committee that set the paper and other senior officers of NTA are under the scanner”.The agency is also investigating whether Mandhare and Kulkarni were involved in previous examination leaks. A special court at Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Courts has sent both accused to 10 days of CBI custody.(With inputs from HT's Neeraj Chauhan)