NEET leak probe spreads across Maharashtra: Telegram trail, coaching links, buyers of leaked papers now under CBI scanner

Sources said the agency is examining Khairnar’s contacts with coaching class operators and admission counsellors in Nashik. Several prominent coaching operators in the city are now likely to face questioning as part of the probe, sources said.

The agency is also examining CCTV footage from near Khairnar’s residence and office, along with his call records and social media activity over the last few months. Investigators are trying to identify who met or contacted him in the run-up to the examination.

Several people close to Khairnar, including friends and associates, are being questioned and their statements are being recorded, sources said. During the probe, investigators allegedly found that Khairnar had earlier helped some students secure admissions in medical courses. Following this, parts of Nashik’s coaching and admission guidance network have come under the scanner.

The investigation has already led to arrests in Pune, Nashik and Latur and has now reached Nanded, where a CBI team questioned the family of a construction businessman suspected of purchasing the leaked paper for his daughter.

According to sources, the team questioned family members for nearly eight hours at their residence in Nanded’s Vidyut Nagar area on Saturday. Investigators suspect the family paid around Rs 5 lakh to get access to leaked NEET questions.

Family members were questioned separately about the payment, the people who arranged access to the paper and the source of the money, sources said. The team also checked documents and electronic devices during the search.

The agency is also examining the student’s sudden jump in mock test scores — from around 100-120 marks while studying in Nanded to nearly 560 after she moved to Pune around 15 days before the examination, sources said.

In Latur, the CBI is also questioning two local doctors who are suspected of having obtained leaked papers after allegedly paying money through intermediaries, sources said.

The investigation has also led the agency to retired chemistry professor P V Kulkarni, who taught at Dayanand College in Latur for nearly 28 years and was allegedly linked to the confidential NEET paper-setting process.

According to the CBI, Kulkarni allegedly used his direct access to the examination process to leak chemistry-related questions through intermediaries. Investigators suspect that different members of the network handled separate subjects, with Kulkarni allegedly handling chemistry-related questions and Khairnar allegedly handling biology-related leaks.

The agency has also alleged that Pune-based accused Manisha Waghmare acted as a middleperson between candidates and members of the network, while another accused, teacher Manisha Mandhare, is also alleged to have known several accused connected to the case.

So far, the CBI has arrested nine accused from different states in connection with the case.

Meanwhile, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced that the NEET re-examination will be held on June 21, following the cancellation of the May 3 examination due to a paper leak.

In a related development, the administration of a Pune-based college has initiated an internal inquiry into the arrested teacher, Manisha Mandhare, who has been working at the institution for more than two decades. College authorities said disciplinary action would be initiated against her under service rules.