Pune Woman Booked In NEET Paper Leak Case, Suspected Of Linking Students To Exam Fraud Racket

The investigation into the nationwide NEET examination paper leak scandal has now reached Pune, with police arresting a woman from the Bibwewadi area for her suspected involvement in the racket. The accused has been identified as Manisha Waghmare, who is suspected of acting as a middlewoman connecting students to the paper leak network through “guess papers.”

Vivek Masal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (handling additional charge of Crime DCP), said Waghmare allegedly played a key role in helping students reach the accused involved in the NEET paper leak operation. Police conducted a search at her residence and seized her mobile phone and laptop for forensic examination.

The investigating team is now scrutinising chats, financial transactions and contact details stored on the devices to trace the wider network behind the scam.

Officials suspect that several intermediaries were involved in distributing “guess papers” to students, which were allegedly used as a cover to circulate leaked examination questions. Investigators believe Waghmare may have been one of the important links in this chain.

Meanwhile, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said Waghmare has been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

"We questioned her and handed her over to the CBI for further probe," he said.

In a related development, Nashik Crime Branch officials detained a 27-year-old student, Shubham Khairnar, from the Indiranagar area of Nashik city. According to police, Khairnar allegedly received the NEET question paper through courier services. He is suspected of purchasing the leaked paper for ₹10 lakh and later selling it to others for nearly ₹15 lakh each.

Police sources said Khairnar allegedly obtained a copy of the question paper from a person based in Pune and circulated it in PDF format to multiple individuals. Following instructions from Rajasthan Police, Nashik Crime Branch initiated action against him before handing him over to the CBI, which is now conducting a detailed probe.

During the investigation, police reportedly discovered that the leaked question papers were circulated through WhatsApp and Telegram groups operating under the name “Private Mafia.” Investigators suspect that students from several states were provided access to the leaked papers in exchange for huge sums of money.

The probe has also expanded to questioning several students and parents. Investigating agencies believe the network extends across multiple states, including Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Kerala and Bihar.