The CBI has arrested another accused in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case and says she played a major role in leaking Biology questions before the exam.

The accused, Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, is a senior Botany teacher from Pune, Maharashtra. She was arrested in Delhi after being questioned by the CBI. According to investigators, she was part of the NEET-UG 2026 examination process and had been appointed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) as an expert. Because of this role, she had access to Botany and Zoology question papers.

The CBI said that during April 2026, Mandhare contacted NEET aspirants through another accused, Manisha Wagmare of Pune, who was arrested earlier on May 14. She then allegedly held special coaching classes at her home in Pune for selected students.

During these classes, the accused is said to have discussed important Botany and Zoology questions and asked students to write them down in notebooks and mark them in textbooks. Investigators say many of these questions later matched the actual NEET-UG 2026 exam paper held on May 3.

The agency has also carried out searches at six places across the country in the last 24 hours. During the raids, officials seized documents, laptops, bank records and mobile phones. The CBI is now examining these materials in detail.

So far, nine people have been arrested in the case from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune and Ahilyanagar. Five of them have already been sent to seven days of police custody for further questioning.

Two other accused arrested recently were produced before a court in Pune and later brought to Delhi on transit remand. They are now being presented before a Delhi court as the investigation continues.