CBI arrests Manisha Sanjay Waghmare over alleged NEET-UG paper leak
A 46-year-old beautician from Pune, Manisha Sanjay Waghmare, has been arrested by the CBI for allegedly helping leak the NEET-UG 2026 exam papers.
She is accused of acting as a go-between for students and parents willing to pay for leaked questions, connecting them with the main suspect, Dhananjay Lokhande.
Investigators say she earned commissions for these deals and even received ₹10 lakh on exam day.
CBI probes digital and money trails
Waghmare's arrest came just after Lokhande's. Authorities have seized her phone and laptop, which reportedly show calls and messages exchanged between her and Lokhande.
She also had links to a retired chemistry professor, Professor P V Kulkarni, who was formerly associated with the body that frames NEET questions.
Interestingly, officials believe Waghmare first got involved after being cheated while trying to help her own daughter two years ago.
The CBI is now digging deeper into money trails and digital evidence as part of a much bigger investigation across states.