The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested two more people in connection with the NEET‑UG 2026 question paper leak, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 13.
“Two persons arrested have been identified as Dr Manoj Shirure, a Latur‑based physician, and Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, a physics faculty member at a coaching institute,” a CBI spokesperson said.
According to CBI, Dr Shirure allegedly played a pivotal role in facilitating access to leaked Chemistry questions for three students, including the son of an accused owner of a coaching centre in Latur.
A source said initially, they were planning to make Dr Shirure as their witness in the case, but after taking legal opinion, they have decided to make his arrest.
“Probe has revealed that Shirure obtained the Chemistry paper from accused P V Kulkarni, who is already in custody, and passed it on to the students,” the spokesperson said.
Kulkarni is the retired Chemistry teacher who was “associated with NTA” and arrested in Pune.
The CBI has arrested two other teachers, Manisha Mandhare and Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, in the case.
Tejas Shah, identified as a faculty member at Dr Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy (APMA) in Pune, is accused of receiving the leaked Physics questions from another arrested suspect, Manisha Havaldar. The agency said Shah subsequently passed on the material to students attending the coaching centre.
The CBI launched a detailed investigation after initial allegations of irregularities in the NEET‑UG 2026 examination surfaced. As part of the probe, the agency has conducted searches at 49 locations across several cities and seized a number of incriminating documents, laptops and mobile phones. “Forensic analysis of the seized electronic devices and documents is underway to reconstruct the network and establish the full chain of the conspiracy,” officials said.
According to the CBI probe, Havaldar allegedly leaked the Physics questions, Kulkarni the Chemistry questions, and Mandhare the Botany and Zoology questions. “Mandhare was not only involved in setting the question paper but also in translating it; Kulkarni was also involved in translating the paper into Marathi,” said the source.
