MUMBAI: In the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the NEET paper leak case, investigators have found that Pune-based accused Manisha Waghmare received money from 21 different bank accounts ahead of the NEET-UG examination held on May 3.
The Pune Police Crime Branch’s Unit 6 had arrested 46-year-old Manisha Sanjay Waghmare, who runs a beauty parlour in Pune’s Sukh Sagar Nagar area. Police said she allegedly acted as an intermediary, connecting NEET aspirants to 26-year-old Dhananjay Lokhande, a BAMS graduate from Mangaluru who runs a medical admission consultancy in Pune.
According to investigators, Lokhande was in contact with Shubham Khairnar, who was earlier arrested by Nashik Police for allegedly purchasing leaked NEET question papers for Rs 10 lakh and later selling each set for Rs 15 lakh.
The probe revealed that after allegedly obtaining the leaked NEET paper, Lokhande dispatched it to Khairnar in Nashik through courier after charging Rs 10 lakh. Khairnar allegedly sold the papers further through Telegram to buyers in Gurugram for Rs 15 lakh per set. Khairnar was later handed over to the CBI for further investigation.
After Waghmare’s arrest, Pune Police transferred her custody to the CBI. During preliminary investigation, the agency found that large transactions had been credited to her account from 21 different bank accounts before the NEET exam.
Investigators are now probing the identity of these account holders, the source of the funds, and whether their children had appeared for the NEET examination. Agencies are also examining chats, financial transactions and contact details recovered from the accused persons’ mobile phones.
Police said Waghmare worked as an agent for Lokhande and used WhatsApp and Telegram to connect medical aspirants seeking admissions. The CBI has seized her mobile phone, laptop and other electronic devices as part of the investigation.
Officials said several students and agents were allegedly in touch with Lokhande, who is accused of supplying leaked “guess papers” to NEET aspirants in exchange for money.
Pune Police have also arrested Sheshrao Solankhi, a cyber security student from Pune’s Phulshrungi area, who allegedly worked as another agent for Lokhande to identify and recruit NEET aspirants.