In its remand application filed in a Delhi court, the CBI had said the leaked questions were found on the phone of the coaching institute founder. “He distributed copies of the leaked papers and answer sheets to multiple persons. There is a video where he is seen in his coaching centre saying that the questions which he gave to the students were there in the final question paper. His links with co-accused Prahlad Kulkarni are under investigation,” the agency had told the court.

Kulkarni is the retired Chemistry teacher who was “associated with NTA” and arrested from Pune. The CBI has arrested two other teachers, Manisha Mandhare and Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, in the case.

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According to sources, Mandhare and Manisha Waghmare, a Pune beautician who has also been arrested in the case, were living in the same residential society. “Mandhare is a close associate of Havaldar, as they were both appointed by the NTA as experts. Waghmare was working as a scout, looking for suitable students, and she was also associated with Kulkarni,” said the source.

According to the CBI probe, Havaldar allegedly leaked the Physics questions, Kulkarni allegedly leaked the Chemistry questions, and Mandhare allegedly leaked 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.