Pune: The NEET-UG 2026 paper leak probe has now turned into one of the country’s biggest education scandals, with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleging that the operation may have originated from Pune. The investigation bureau claims that this happened through a network involving exam experts, teachers, middlemen, coaching contacts and interstate agents.

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2026, which is India’s largest medical entrance exam, was conducted on 3rd May 2026 for over 22 lakh students nationwide.

The latest and most explosive revelation in the case is the alleged role of Pune-based beautician and self-proclaimed educational consultant Manisha Waghmare. Investigators believe that she is a key link connecting students, parents, coaching contacts and insiders with access to the confidential NEET question paper.

According to the CBI, Waghmare allegedly discovered that Pune professor Manisha Gurunath Mandhare was part of the National Testing Agency’s confidential NEET paper-setting ecosystem. Investigators claim Waghmare then approached Mandhare and allegedly helped build a leak network around her access to the examination system.

The probe alleges that Waghmare, using her beauty parlour business and education-related contacts, identified wealthy and desperate NEET aspirants willing to pay huge sums for advance access to exam questions. The CBI told the court that deals worth nearly Rs 10 lakh per student were allegedly struck. The money was reportedly meant to be shared among the accused involved in the operation.

The investigation has revealed what officials describe as a highly organised interstate network stretching from Pune to Nashik, Gurugram and Jaipur. CBI officials allege that confidential Biology questions were accessed through Mandhare, who was allegedly appointed as an NTA subject expert for botany and zoology. Investigators claim she had direct access to the final question papers before the 3rd May NEET-UG 2026 examination.

According to the agency, Mandhare abused her official role and leaked confidential material in exchange for money. The CBI further alleged in court that retired teacher Prahlad Vitthalrao Kulkarni was also brought into the conspiracy. Another accused, Shubham Khairnar from Nashik, allegedly helped circulate the leaked content further through counselling and coaching contacts.

Investigators claim the paper eventually travelled through WhatsApp messages, PDFs and interstate coaching networks. One leaked PDF allegedly reached Gurugram-based accused Yash Yadav before being circulated further in Jaipur. The case first exploded after teachers in Rajasthan reportedly noticed that questions from leaked “guess papers” matched the actual NEET exam held on 3rd May. A whistleblower allegedly alerted authorities after comparing the leaked PDF with the final paper line by line.

Soon after, the National Testing Agency came under massive scrutiny. The centre ordered a nationwide CBI probe, and the entire NEET-UG 2026 examination was cancelled. More than 22 lakh students across India were affected. So far, at least nine arrests have been made from different states, including Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Haryana. Among the biggest names in the investigation is Pune-based Professor Manisha Mandhare, who has emerged as one of the central accused.

According to the CBI, Mandhare has been teaching Biology to class 11 and 12 students for nearly 24 years and has worked at Modern College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Shivajinagar since 2020. Due to her academic experience, she was allegedly appointed by the NTA for confidential examination-related work. Investigators claim she conducted private coaching sessions at her Pune residence before the examination. During these sessions, selected students were allegedly asked to note down “important questions” and mark sections in textbooks that later appeared in the actual exam.

The CBI told the court that this was not an isolated leak but part of a much larger organised crime syndicate operating across states. The agency said several more accused are yet to be identified and arrested. During Sunday’s hearing, the CBI sought 14 days of custody for Mandhare, arguing that the investigation is still at a very sensitive and early stage. The court accepted the request.

Mandhare’s lawyers opposed the custody demand and argued that she is a 57-year-old lecturer who has cooperated with investigators and does not require police custody. However, the court sided with the CBI, considering the seriousness of the allegations.

Meanwhile, the Progressive Education Society and the college administration described the arrest as serious, unfortunate and condemnable. College authorities said disciplinary proceedings would be initiated against her as per service rules.

The scandal has also intensified scrutiny of India’s coaching industry and the security of national entrance examinations. Investigators are now examining digital devices, WhatsApp chats, financial transactions, courier records and possible vulnerabilities within the NTA system.

The centre has already announced a re-examination on June 21 and is also considering major reforms, including shifting NEET to a computer-based format from 2027 to reduce the risk of future paper leaks. As the investigation deepens, Pune has emerged as the suspected ground zero of a scandal that has shaken the credibility of India’s medical entrance examination system.

Mumbai: The Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested two accused from Borivali in connection with a bomb-hurling incident that took place outside an Ashram in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district. A case in this regard was registered at Berhampore Police Station following the incident that occurred on May 14, shortly after the West Bengal election results were declared.

The arrested accused have been identified as Roky Khan (24), a driver and resident of Kandi Hotel Para, and Sahadat Sarkar (35), a worker and resident of Gram Natun Pura. The Mumbai Crime Branch completed the court formalities and obtained a two-day transit remand to hand over the accused to the West Bengal Police.

According to police, the case was registered based on a complaint lodged by a grocery shop owner, Pashupathinath Saha, a resident of Majiherpara Post Office area under Berhampore Police Station in Murshidabad district. In his complaint, he alleged that accused Ali Hossain alias Laden, Hasan SK, along with three unidentified associates, were involved in the incident, are wanted.

The complainant stated that he runs a grocery shop near an Ashram in the Majihipara area. On May 12, unidentified persons allegedly tore down photographs displayed on an electric pole in front of the Ma Durga Temple adjacent to the Ashram. Police said that on May 13 at around 10.45 pm, the accused along with their associates allegedly hurled socket bombs in a vacant field in front of the Ashram, creating panic and disturbing public peace in the locality.

The following morning, on May 14 at around 10.30 am, the accused allegedly arrived on motorcycles and stopped outside the complainant’s grocery shop. They allegedly threatened the complainant with further bomb explosions if the incident was reported to authorities.

Following registration of the offence on May 15, the investigation revealed that the wanted accused had fled their residence and escaped to Mumbai by the Gitanjali Express to evade arrest. The information was subsequently shared with the Mumbai Crime Branch.

Acting on the input, the CIU team traced and detained the two accused at Borivali Railway Station during the early hours of May 17. During interrogation, their suspected involvement in the case was confirmed, following which the investigating officer from West Bengal arrived in Mumbai for further legal formalities.

Thane: A 26-year-old engineer from Mumbra was allegedly beaten to death by his married lover, her husband and two accomplices before his body was stuffed inside a drum and dumped in a secluded drain in Vasai, police said on Friday.

The Mumbra Police Station arrested the 25-year-old woman and her brother in connection with the murder, while her husband and another accused remain absconding. The deceased was identified as Arbaz Maqsood Ali Khan, a resident of Mumbra who worked as an engineer with a real estate developer in Dombivli.

According to police, Khan had been in a relationship since 2021 with Mehajabeen Khatun Ekran Sheikh, a resident of Vasai. Investigators said the two frequently communicated and exchanged romantic messages, but over time Mehajabeen allegedly began demanding money from Khan, who regularly transferred funds to her account.

Police said the relationship deteriorated after Khan allegedly stopped sending her monthly payments, following which Mehajabeen allegedly conspired with her husband Hasan Sheikh, her brother Tariq Sheikh and Tariq’s friend Mojjam Pathan to murder him.

Cops stated Khan had gone to Dadar on April 3 to collect cash related to his company’s work but never returned home. After his father filed a missing complaint, police analysed his call detail records and mobile location data, which allegedly matched Mehajabeen’s location in Vasai on the day he disappeared.

Police also found that Khan had transferred Rs 50,000 to Mehajabeen a day before he went missing. During interrogation, Mehajabeen initially denied involvement but later allegedly confessed to the crime, police said. Cops claimed she had called Khan to her residence in the Bhoidapada area of Vasai, where an argument allegedly broke out over money.

According to police, the accused found no valuables on Khan and later tied his hands and legs before assaulting him with a plastic pipe, causing fatal head injuries. The accused allegedly stuffed Khan’s body into a drum and dumped it in a drain in an isolated area falling under the jurisdiction of Valiv Police Station.

Police arrested Mehajabeen and Tariq on May 7, while efforts are underway to trace Hasan and Pathan. A case has been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including murder, kidnapping, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence.