NEET-UG 2026 Paper Leak: Day after arresting the kingpin of the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) identified another mastermind, a Pune-based teacher, who was the source for the leak of NEET-UG 2026 Examination Biology questions and arrested her from Delhi. Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, a senior Botany teacher arrested after thorough interrogation by the CBI.
What WAs Manisha's Role In Paper Leak?
According to the news agency, ANI, Manisha was allegedly involved in the NEET-UG 2026 Examination process and appointed by NTA as an expert. She had complete access to the Botony and Zoology question papers. Last month, she had mobilised prospective NEET examination candidates through Manisha Wagmare of Pune (already arrested on 14-05-26) and conducted special coaching classes for these students at her Pune residence.
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During these classes she 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 text books. Majority of these questions tallied with the actual question paper of NEET UG 2026Examination held on May 3.
Chemistry Professor, Who Shared Questions In Coaching Classes Arrested
Earlier on Friday, the Central probe agency arrested a Pune-based professor, the "source" of the leak of the paper. Professor PV Kulkarni, a domain expert in chemistry from Latur who has for years served on panels involved in setting the NEET question paper, was taken into custody from his residence in Pune.
"P V Kulkarni has been arrested at Pune after thorough interrogation," a CBI spokesperson said. Exploiting his privileged access to confidential material, Kulkarni hosted special coaching classes at his house in the last week of April and dictated to his students questions, options and answers which appeared in the NEET-UG paper on May 3.
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"During the last week of April, 2026, he had mobilised students, with the help of another accused namely Manisha Waghmare who was arrested on May 14 by CBI," the spokesperson said in a statement.
Students allegedly paid several lakh rupees to attend the sessions where they wrote the questions down in their notebooks and later "tallied exactly" with the actual NEET-UG paper conducted on May 3, the spokesperson said.