The investigation into the alleged NEET-UG examination paper leak has widened across the country, with Maharashtra emerging as one of the major links in the case. The probe has revealed that the leaked question paper allegedly reached students through private coaching institutes and counsellors operating in cities such as Latur, Pune and Nashik. According to students, several reputed coaching centres distributed questions that later appeared in the actual NEET examination under the guise of mock tests and practice sessions. Students claimed that two coaching institutes in Latur and one in Pune had provided a set of questions identical or similar to those asked in the entrance examination, raising serious concerns over organised malpractice.
Following the emergence of the Nashik connection in the paper leak case, Pune Police detained a woman identified as Manisha Waghmare during a pre-dawn operation on Wednesday. Police officials said Waghmare, who reportedly runs a beauty parlour, resides in the Katraj area of Pune and is suspected of acting as an intermediary who connected students with the accused involved in the racket. Investigators stated that she had allegedly been in contact with accused Dhananjay Lokhande for the last three years. Lokhande was arrested from Ahilyanagar. Police also suspect that financial transactions took place between the two in connection with the leak. During the raid, officials seized a mobile phone and laptop from Waghmare. Authorities stated that she would be handed over to the CBI for further questioning by Wednesday evening.
The NEET paper leak investigation also uncovered a major Nashik-based connection involving a BAMS student identified as Shubham Madhukar Khairnar, aged 26. Acting on directions issued by the Central Bureau of Investigation, Nashik Police detained Khairnar on Tuesday morning. Officials suspect that the leaked paper was sold to candidates for nearly Rs 15 lakh each. Investigators believe Shubham was an important link in the larger network responsible for circulating the examination paper. Originally from Nandgaon, he had been staying in the Indiranagar area of Nashik for the past few days. Police sources revealed that he was previously enrolled in a medical college in Bhopal and is now under intense scrutiny in connection with the nationwide scandal.
More than twelve suspects have reportedly been arrested from different parts of Maharashtra as the investigation gathers pace. Among them, Shubham Khairnar was allegedly staying in a rented three-BHK apartment located on the fourth floor of a residential building in Suchetanagar, Nashik. The flat reportedly belongs to a woman doctor. Senior officials from the Rajasthan unit of the CBI contacted Nashik Police Commissioner Sandeep Karnik at around 7 am on Tuesday and requested immediate assistance in tracing the suspect. Acting swiftly, Nashik Police located and detained Shubham within hours. A special CBI team reached Nashik at around 8 pm on Tuesday to take over the probe. Officials continued interrogating Shubham late into the night as investigators attempted to uncover the full extent of the examination leak network.