NEET Paper Leak Probe Reaches Pune: Woman Accused of Connecting Aspirants to Agent Held
Pune, 13th May 2026: Pune police have detained a woman running a beauty parlour in connection with the ongoing investigation into the alleged NEET paper leak case, officials said.
Police suspect that the woman acted as an intermediary, identifying students and connecting them to the alleged main agent, Dhananjay Lokhande, who was earlier arrested from Ahilyanagar district.
The woman, identified as Manisha Waghmare, was taken into custody during a pre-dawn operation carried out by the Pune crime branch. Officials said the action was based on inputs and evidence gathered during the probe being conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
According to police, Waghmare allegedly helped facilitate contact between aspirants and Lokhande, who is accused of being part of a larger network linked to the examination scam. Police have seized a mobile phone and laptop from her possession. Officials said suspicious WhatsApp calls and messages exchanged between the two have also come under scrutiny.
Police said Waghmare will be handed over to the CBI for further investigation.
The probe into the alleged NEET paper leak had earlier led investigators to Nashik and Ahilyanagar. Following the detention of Shubham Khairnar from Nashik, the name of Dhananjay Nivrutti Lokhande surfaced during questioning, officials said.
Lokhande, 26, is a resident of Mahegaon in Rahuri taluka of Ahilyanagar district. He completed his BAMS degree from Mangaluru in Karnataka two years ago and had been living in Wagholi in Pune district for the past four years. Police said he had started medical practice after completing his studies and was also allegedly involved in medical admission consultancy work.
Based on Khairnar’s statement, Lokhande was traced and detained from Rahuri late at night by the CBI. Investigators are now probing the possible extent of the network operating in western Maharashtra and whether more doctors or agents were involved in the alleged racket.
