Paper setter held in Delhi for NEET leak

The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested a senior Pune-based botany lecturer allegedly involved in masterminding the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak racket, uncovering what investigators describe as a sophisticated network that exploited insider access to confidential examination papers and targeted aspirants willing to pay huge sums for advance questions.

- Ashish Singh & Ankit Shukla

The accused, identified as Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, was arrested in New Delhi after prolonged interrogation at the CBI headquarters. Investigators claim Mandhare taught at Modern College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Shivajinagar, Pune, and was appointed by the National Testing Agency as a subject expert on the paper-setting committee for NEET-UG 2026, giving her direct access to highly confidential Botany and Zoology question papers before the nationwide medical entrance examination held on May 3.

According to CBI officials, Mandhare allegedly used her official role to orchestrate a coordinated leak operation beginning in late April this year. The agency alleges that she connected with aspiring medical students through another accused, Manisha Waghmare of Pune, who had earlier been arrested on May 14. Waghmare ran a beauty parlour and was a conduit for Mandhare.

Investigators claim Mandhare conducted secret coaching sessions at her residence in Pune, where she allegedly disclosed and discussed multiple questions from Botany and Zoology that later appeared in the actual NEET-UG examination paper.