A WhatsApp group of eight students, created in November last year under the name "Fifa world cup 2026", became a key lead for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in its probe into the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak conspiracy.
According to the agency, the group helped investigators trace two key accused, Pune-based PV Kulkarni and Manisha Mandhare, and uncover how purportedly leaked questions were allegedly shared with students through special coaching classes.
The details emerged in the CBI's 20,000-page chargesheet, submitted before a Delhi court earlier this month.
According to statements by two NEET candidates cited in the chargesheet, Mandhare created the eight-member WhatsApp group to coordinate special Biology classes.
The group was also used to discuss class schedules, post-NEET paper evaluation and mark calculation, the agency said.
Pune-based beautician Manisha Waghmare, whom the CBI described as a facilitator for all NEET subjects, helped add students to the group.
The agency said Waghmare offered students online and offline Chemistry and Botany classes conducted by subject experts engaged by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for translation and proofreading — Kulkarni and Mandhare.
According to the CBI, Waghmare claimed these classes would "provide students with identical questions from the NEET-UG exam".
The chargesheet detailed how Mandhare allegedly conducted the Biology classes.
"During Biology classes, accused Manisha Mandhare (A-1) instructed the students to mark specific paragraphs in their new XI and XII NCERT textbooks and also dictated questions to be written in the margins of their new textbooks," the chargesheet stated.
The agency said students subsequently copied the dictated questions into a fair notebook, which Mandhare then "corrected" as required, HT reported.
According to the CBI, Mandhare conducted these "revision offline classes" at her residence in Ganga Osian, Pune, during two periods — November to December 2025 and March to April 2026.
The investigation into the WhatsApp group allegedly revealed that students arranged by Waghmare for Mandhare's classes also attended Chemistry classes conducted by Kulkarni.
Kulkarni allegedly held similar "special classes" at his residence in Nanded City, Pune, in April this year.
The chargesheet said two batches comprising nine students attended these classes, where identical Chemistry questions were allegedly provided.
The agency also found another WhatsApp group named "NEET 2026", where Kulkarni shared class timings and links with students before the examination.
"As per the statement of a group member, the Biology and Chemistry questions provided by the accused Manisha Mandhare (A-1) and accused PV Kulkarni (A-2), respectively, matched those in the actual NEET-UG 2026 examination..."
Based on the evidence, the CBI arrested Kulkarni on May 15 and Mandhare on May 16.
The agency said Mandhare had been engaged by the NTA as a subject expert for Botany and Zoology in connection with the NEET-UG 2026 examination.
"Manisha Mandhare, who was engaged as a subject expert for Botany/Zoology by NTA in connection with the NEET UG 2026 examination, had access to confidential examination material during various stages of the question paper preparation process. Despite an obligation of secrecy, the investigation revealed that she conducted coaching classes at her residence and created a WhatsApp group consisting of herself and eight other students who were attending coaching at her residence," the chargesheet stated.
The investigation subsequently uncovered the alleged role of Manisha Havaldar, a Physics subject expert who was arrested for allegedly leaking 66 handwritten questions to students arranged by Waghmare in exchange for monetary benefits.
The CBI also identified Waghmare's husband's dental clinic in Pune as a location where allegedly leaked questions from different subjects were coordinated and processed.
Witness statements, according to the agency, confirmed that typing work took place at the dental clinic.
"The digital evidence recovered from her showed leaked question material in multiple subjects -- Biology, Chemistry, Physics -- was stored, handled and circulated by her," the CBI said.
