NEET paper leak row: CBI grills doctor, teacher, parlour owner | India News
Educational consultancy operator Shubham Khairnar, sacked junior college teacher Manisha Mandhare, beauty parlor owner Manisha Waghmare and a Latur-based pediatrician moved to center stage on Thursday as the CBI expanded its NEET-UG 2026 paper leak probe, drawing up money trail, digital footprints and suspects. The CBI brought Khairnar to Pune for questioning after Mandre and Waghmar faced fresh questioning over his alleged role in leaking and circulating question papers before medical entrance exams. National Testing Agency told a parliamentary panel that it felt the paper had not been compromised through its systems but added that the CBI would give a final result. More than 22 lakh students wrote the NEET-UG, which was canceled by the NTA on May 12, citing widespread irregularities and paper leaks.The CBI is probing the role of the paediatrician, who leaked the paper for the childThe CBI is also probing the role of a pediatrician in Latur, suspected of procuring the leaked papers for his child through Prahlad Vitthalrao Kulkarni, a retired chemistry lecturer from Latur, whom investigators have described as the source of the leak. A CBI official said, “We are interrogating him to confirm his involvement. Investigators suspect several parents, including doctors, paid large sums of money to access the questionnaires in advance. Several families have been interrogated across the district, with some suspects under surveillance. Khairnar conducted an educational consultancy to guide candidates preparing for MBBS, BDS, BHMS and other medical entrance exams. The CBI is probing his link with the Pune-based accused, who was arrested earlier, and whether he acted as a conduit between the candidate and the leak network. Mandre, which is affiliated to Pune’s Modern College and linked to NTA, along with neighboring Waghmar, is questioning how the leaked papers were sourced, circulated and sent to the candidates. Sources said the CBI is focusing on financial transactions, digital communication records and chain of intermediaries.
