NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak scandal, arresting at least 10 individuals so far from across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Haryana. Investigators have uncovered an organized syndicate composed of National Testing Agency (NTA) insiders, prominent coaching owners, and interstate middlemen who successfully compromised the medical entrance exam prior to its May 3 scheduled date.

The investigation reached a major breakthrough following the arrest of Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, a senior Botany teacher from Pune. Appointed as a subject expert by the NTA, Mandhare allegedly abused her position to gain full access to the Botany and Zoology question papers. According to agency sources, she orchestrated secret coaching sessions at her residence to leak biology questions to candidates for astronomical sums.

Mandhare's arrest closely followed that of another critical insider, P.V. Kulkarni, a retired chemistry lecturer from Latur who also served on the NTA's question paper panel. The CBI has since dismantled the commercial infrastructure supporting the duo. In a high-profile raid in Latur, the agency arrested Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, the owner of Renukai Chemistry Classes (RCC)—one of Maharashtra's largest coaching brands. Known widely as "M Sir," Motegaonkar is suspected of using his close ties to Kulkarni to funnel leaked material into his coaching network, which spans nine branches.

The leak reportedly originated when an Ayurveda practitioner in Pune obtained hard copies of the question bank, couriered them to Nashik, and forwarded digital photographs to contacts in Gurugram. From there, the leaked material was weaponized into a 60-page handwritten "guess paper" PDF, matching nearly 150 questions from the actual exam.

In Rajasthan, the CBI arrested three members of the Biwal family in Jaipur's Jamwa Ramgarh. The family is accused of purchasing the leaked papers from a Haryana-based middleman for their son.