The country’s largest medical entrance exam, NEET-UG 2026, is once again under scrutiny. The CBI has made revelations in this paper leak scandal, which concerns the future of millions of students, that have shaken the entire education system. The investigating agency has identified the woman believed to be the mastermind behind the Biology question paper leak. Senior Botany teacher Manisha Gurunath Mandhare from Pune has been arrested in Delhi. Shockingly, she was an expert appointed by the NTA and had direct access to the question papers.
According to the CBI, Manisha Mandhare was a key player in the examination process. She had special access to the Botany and Zoology question papers. It is alleged that she exploited this responsibility to leak selected questions before the exam. The investigation also revealed that she had created an entire network to systematically disseminate confidential information to students.
According to the investigating agency, during April 2026, Manisha Mandhare gathered potential candidates through Manisha Waghmare of Pune. Special coaching sessions were then held at her home. In these classes, students were taught important Botany and Zoology questions, asked to write them down in notebooks, and even marked in books. These same questions were later seen in the actual NEET-UG exam held on May 3, 2026.
In the past 24 hours, the CBI raided six different locations across the country. Several incriminating documents, laptops, mobile phones, and bank statements were seized. The agency is now investigating digital data and financial transactions to determine the amount of money exchanged for the paper leak and the number of people involved in this network.
So far, a total of nine accused have been arrested in this case from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune, and Ahalya Nagar. Five of these accused have been remanded to seven-day police custody by the court. Meanwhile, two other recently arrested accused have been brought to Delhi on transit remand from Pune, where they are undergoing intensive interrogation.
This revelation has raised serious questions about the transparency and security of the NEET exam across the country. Millions of students and parents now want to know how the question paper for such a confidential exam got leaked. The CBI says the investigation is ongoing and more prominent names linked to this network may be revealed in the coming days.