Source TOI
NEW DELHI — In a major development that further exposes the internal vulnerabilities of national entrance examinations, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, a senior Botany professor from Pune, on Saturday.
According to officials, Mandhare was appointed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) as an expert on the paper-setting committee for the NEET-UG examination held on May 3. Investigators have described her as a “second mastermind” and the direct source behind the leak of the Biology (Botany and Zoology) question papers.
Mandhare’s arrest follows the apprehension of retired Chemistry lecturer P.V. Kulkarni, another Pune-based academic who allegedly leaked the Chemistry portion of the examination. The CBI revealed that both educators abused their insider access to the confidential NTA paper-setting process to orchestrate a widespread fraud network.
The Modus Operandi
The investigation has revealed that Mandhare had complete access to both the Botany and Zoology segments of the test. During April, she allegedly teamed up with a co-accused, Manisha Waghmare, who runs a local beauty parlor in Pune, to scout and mobilize prospective NEET candidates.
Mandhare then organized secret, specialized coaching sessions at her private residence in Pune for a selected group of students. “During these classes, Mandhare explained and disclosed various questions from the Botany and Zoology subjects. She made the students note down the exact questions and answers in their notebooks and mark the relevant sections in their textbooks,” a CBI spokesperson stated.
A similar operation was carried out by Kulkarni for the Chemistry paper, where students were dictated exact multiple-choice options. Investigators later discovered that the handwritten content recovered from these student notebooks matched the official NEET-UG examination question papers identically. Rumors indicate the network charged aspirants lakhs of rupees in exchange for the leaked material.
Widening Crackdown
With Mandhare’s arrest, the total number of individuals apprehended by the CBI in connection with the NEET-UG paper leak has risen to nine across five states, including Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi.
Mandhare was detained in Delhi following an intense round of questioning at the agency’s headquarters. The CBI is currently scanning phone logs, digital footprints, and financial transactions to determine if any more members of the NTA’s academic panels or office staff were involved in the breach.
The integrity of the nationwide medical entrance test has been severely compromised by the scandal, prompting widespread public outrage and leading to the official cancellation of the initial exam. A national retest has been scheduled for June 21, as the CBI continues its multi-state investigation to dismantle the entire network.
