Pune Teacher Behind NEET Biology Question Paper Leak Arrested

Daily Update

The teacher, Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, was arrested from Delhi after the CBI questioned her, the agency said

New Delhi:

A Botany professor from Pune has been arrested in the case of the NEET-UG Biology paper leak, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said today, taking the total number of arrested suspects to nine.

The Botany professor, Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, was arrested from Delhi after the CBI questioned her, the agency said.

She worked for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) process after her appointment by the National Testing Agency (NTA) as an expert, the CBI said.

In April, she got in touch with NEET candidates through Manisha Wagmare, someone accused from Pune who was arrested earlier, and gave coaching classes for these students at her house.

She allegedly disclosed important questions from Botany and Zoology and made the students note down the same in their notebooks and also mark them in their textbooks, the CBI said. Most of the questions discussed with the current paper of NEET-UG held on May 3, the probe agency said.

The CBI also conducted searches at six locations across the country and seized incriminating documents, laptops, bank statements and mobile phones in the past 24 hours. A detailed analysis of the seized items is going on, it said.

The nine accused so far arrested in the case are from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nasik, Pune and Ahliyanagar. Out of these, five are in police custody for seven days; two arrested from Pune are being brought to Delhi. The remaining are being questioned.

The CBI said its Investigation has so far found the actual source of the leakage of Chemistry and Biology papers as well as the middlemen involved in getting in touch with students who paid lakhs of rupees to attend the special coaching classes, where the questions which would come in the NEET UG were taught and discussed.

The CBI yesterday said it had arrested the kingpin involved in the case, identified as PV Kulkarni, a chemistry lecturer associated with the examination process on behalf of the NTA. He allegedly had access to the NEET-UG 2026 question papers.

The CBI said its investigation revealed that during the last week of April, Kulkarni together with Manisha Waghmare, organized special coaching classes for select students at his Pune house.

“During these coaching sessions, I have dictated questions along with options and correct answers.

The questions handwritten by students in their notebooks exactly matched the current Chemistry paper of the NEET-UG 2026 examination conducted on May 3, 2026,” the CBI said.

The case into the paper leak was filed by the CBI on May 12 following a complaint by the Department of Higher Education under the Union Education Ministry.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday arrested a biology professor who was part of the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) paper-setting committee for the 2026 NEET-UG entrance examination held on May 3, officials said.

The latest accused to be arrested has been identified as Manisha Mandhare, a Botany teacher. She has been described by the CBI as “another mastermind who was the source for leak of NEET-UG 2026 Examination Biology questions.”

Mandhare works at the Modern College of Arts Science and Commerce in Pune. According to sources from the educational institution, she has contributed to questionnaire paper-setting for NEET on behalf of the NTA for the past five to six years.

Mandhare had helped set the Botany and Zoology Questions for the 2026 NEET question paper.

She was arrested on the basis of questioning of alleged kingpin PV Kulkarni, a retired Chemistry professor, and others arrested in the paper leak case, officials said.

NEW DELHI:

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday arrested another alleged mastermind in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, identifying her as the source of leaked Biology questions in the medical entrance exam.
The accused, Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, a senior Botany teacher from Pune, Maharashtra, was arrested in Delhi after questioning by the agency. According to the CBI, Mandhare was associated with the NEET-UG 2026 exam process and had been appointed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) as an expert, giving her access to Botany and Zoology question papers, news agency ANI reported.

Investigators alleged that during April 2026, she mobilized prospective NEET candidates through Manisha Wagmare of Pune, who had already been arrested on May 14. The CBI said Mandhare conducted special coaching classes for students at her Pune residence, during which she allegedly disclosed several Botany and Zoology questions and asked students to note them down in notebooks and textbooks.

The agency said a majority of those questions matched the current NEET-UG 2026 question paper conducted on May 3 (now cancelled).
The arrest comes a day after the CBI said he had arrested retired chemistry professor PV Kulkarni in Latur in connection with the paper leak case.