16 May,2026 10:43 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
So far, nine accused have been arrested from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune, and Ahilyanagar. Representational pic
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a National Testing Agency (NTA)-appointed senior Botany teacher from Pune in connection with the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak case. She is suspected to be the co-mastermind behind the leak of the Biology question paper, an official told news agency IANS on Saturday.
The accused, Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, is the second Pune teacher after Chemistry professor PV Kulkarni to be identified and arrested after interrogation, CBI said in a statement.
She was involved in the NEET-Undergraduate (UG) 2026 Examination process and was appointed by NTA as an expert. Mandhare had complete access to the Biology question paper, the probe agency said.
In April, she had mobilised prospective NEET examination candidates through Pune consultant Manisha Wagmare and conducted special coaching classes for these students at her Pune residence, the statement said. Wagmare was arrested on Thursday.
During these classes, Mandhare explained and disclosed various questions from Biology and made the students note down the same in their notebooks and also mark these in their textbooks, the statement said.
A majority of these questions tallied with the actual question paper of the NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3, the probe agency said.
In the past 24 hours, the CBI conducted searches at six locations across the country and seized several incriminating documents, laptops, bank statements, and mobile phones.
Detailed analysis of the seized items is going on, an official said.
CBI registered a case into the incident on Tuesday based on the written complaint given by the Union Education Ministry's Department of Higher Education, pertaining to the alleged paper leak of NEET (UG) 2026 Examination.
Immediately after the registration of the case, special teams were formed, and searches were conducted at various locations across the country and several suspects were picked up and interrogated.
So far, nine accused have been arrested from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune, and Ahilyanagar. Of these, five have been produced before the court and sent to police custody for seven days for detailed interrogation. Two other accused, who were arrested on Friday, were produced before a court in Pune and shifted to Delhi after transit remand.
Investigation is continuing with the special teams, and the probe conducted so far has brought out the actual source of the leakage of Chemistry and Biology papers as well as the middlemen, the CBI said.
The middlemen were involved in mobilising the students who paid lakhs of rupees to attend the special coaching classes where the questions which would come in the NEET (UG) 2026 exam were dictated and discussed. NTA cancelled the exam and said that NEET (UG) will be re-held on June 21.
(With IANS inputs)
