NEW DELHI, INDIA — The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday arrested a senior biology lecturer who served as an expert on the National Testing Agency’s paper-setting committee for the NEET-UG examination. The accused, identified as Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, was detained at the federal agency’s headquarters following extensive questioning. This high-profile arrest marks a significant breakthrough in the ongoing investigation into the compromised medical entrance exam held on May 3, which was subsequently cancelled after massive widespread leaks were brought to light.
Investigators revealed that Mandhare, a resident of Pune, Maharashtra, had complete, privileged access to confidential Botany and Zoology question papers due to her role within the NTA panel. She allegedly exploited this security clearance to coordinate a lucrative illicit operation. According to federal officials, Mandhare worked in tandem with an interstate network to mobilise prospective candidates ahead of the national test, charging select students lakhs of rupees to secure access to the compromised materials.
The investigation indicates that Mandhare orchestrated special coaching sessions at her private Pune residence during the final week of April. During these secret meetings, she allegedly dictated leaked questions and exact answers directly to her students, who transcribed them into personal notebooks. A subsequent forensic analysis by federal teams confirmed that these handwritten questions tallied perfectly with the final question paper distributed nationwide on May 3.
The breakthrough follows the grilling of alleged kingpin and chemistry expert Professor P.V. Kulkarni, who was apprehended by federal agents in Pune just a day prior. Kulkarni, a domain expert from Latur who similarly spent years setting chemistry papers for the NTA, is accused of running a parallel leak operation out of his own home. Investigators found that both masterminds relied heavily on a co-accused, Manisha Waghmare, who was arrested on May 14, to actively source and funnel wealthy candidates into these illicit pre-exam camps.
With Mandhare’s detention, the total number of individuals arrested across multiple states has risen to nine, encompassing networks stretching from Delhi and Jaipur to Nashik and Pune. The NTA noted that initial red flags regarding exam malpractices surfaced on the evening of May 7, prompting a swift escalation to central probe agencies for independent verification. Given the elite positioning of the arrested academic panel members, the agency has expanded its scope to intensely scrutinize internal operations and identify any complicit public servants or administrative officials within the testing body.
