The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has made a major breakthrough in the NEET-UG paper leak scandal, unearthing a multi-state network that reaches directly into the National Testing Agency (NTA). The federal agency has uncovered concrete evidence connecting a Pune-based beautician to an insider on the NTA's question-setting panel, shattering initial claims of a localized "guess paper" leak and confirming a widespread, systemic breach.
The NTA Insider and the "Mastermind"
In a dramatic turn of events, the CBI arrested Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, an expert serving on the NTA’s official question-setting panel for the NEET-UG examination. According to the CBI’s submission before a special Delhi court, Mandhare had direct access to the final question papers, specifically for the Botany and Zoology sections, and allegedly leaked them for substantial monetary gains.
Alongside Mandhare, the CBI also arrested P.V. Kulkarni, a retired chemistry lecturer from Latur who was previously associated with framing exam questions. Kulkarni allegedly conducted secret coaching sessions at his Pune residence in April, dictating leaked questions, options, and correct answers directly to a curated group of students. The CBI confirmed that handwritten notes seized from these students exactly tallied with the actual NEET-UG question paper.
The Beautician Connection: How the Racket Operated
At the center of this distribution web sits Manisha Waghmare, a 46-year-old beautician who runs a parlor in Sukhsagar Nagar, Pune. Far from a simple salon owner, the CBI has identified Waghmare as the "common link" or the crucial intermediary who bridge-connected the NTA insider with the underground paper distribution market.
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The Backstory: Waghmare’s involvement allegedly began two years ago when she was cheated of lakhs of rupees by scammers while trying to help her daughter clear NEET. Instead of backing away, she used that exposure to become an active agent in the fraud ecosystem.
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The Network: Waghmare used her salon's customer base and local coaching connections to target wealthy, desperate parents. She teamed up with Mandhare and Kulkarni, fixing deals at approximately ₹10 lakh per student, intending to keep a hefty commission of ₹2.5 lakh to ₹3 lakh per candidate.
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The Financial Trail: The CBI has found strong financial evidence backing these claims. Nearly ₹20 lakh was credited to Waghmare's bank accounts from 21 separate accounts across India. Strikingly, a single transaction of ₹10 lakh was cleared on the very day of the NEET exam.
How the Leak Spread Across States
Once the beautician collected the candidates, the leak chain moved rapidly across state borders using digital channels:
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Pune to Ahilyanagar: Manisha Waghmare passed the leaked content to Dhananjay Lokhande, an admissions counsellor.
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Ahilyanagar to Nashik: Lokhande transmitted the papers to Shubham Khairnar, a BAMS student running a front consultancy firm.
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Nashik to Haryana & Rajasthan: Khairnar converted the data into PDF format and sent it to Yash Yadav in Gurugram, who then forwarded it to the Biwal family in Jaipur. The papers were subsequently distributed to candidates via WhatsApp and Telegram in Sikar, Jhunjhunu, and other regions.
Did Both Question Paper Sets Leak?
The CBI's investigation strongly indicates that multiple sections and sets of the examination were systematically compromised.
Initially, the syndicates claimed they were only distributing high-accuracy "guess papers" containing 500 to 600 questions. However, the arrest of NTA panelist Manisha Mandhare (who had access to Botany and Zoology) alongside Chemistry expert P.V. Kulkarni proves that original, final sets of the question papers were compromised at the source. The CBI informed the court that the leaked sets closely and identical matched the official exam papers, indicating that the core repository of the NTA was breached.
The CBI continues its forensic analysis of deleted WhatsApp chats, laptops, and bank accounts to determine if any further public servants or higher-ups within the NTA were complicit in the leakage.
