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The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday said it has identified and arrested the kingpin involved in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case.
According to the CBI, the accused, identified as P V Kulkarni, is a Chemistry lecturer associated with the examination process on behalf of the National Testing Agency and allegedly had access to the NEET-UG 2026 question papers. The agency said its investigation revealed that during the last week of April 2026, Kulkarni, along with another accused, Manisha Waghmare, organised special coaching classes for selected students at his residence in Pune. Waghmare was arrested by the CBI on May 14. "During these coaching sessions, he dictated questions along with options and correct answers. The questions handwritten by students in their notebooks exactly matched the actual Chemistry paper of the NEET-UG 2026 examination conducted on May 3, 2026," the CBI said. Kulkarni, who originally belongs to Latur, was arrested in Pune after extensive interrogation, the agency added. The CBI further said that in the last 24 hours, searches were conducted at several locations across the country and multiple incriminating documents, electronic gadgets and mobile phones were seized. Detailed forensic and technical analysis of the seized materials is underway. The case was registered by the CBI on May 12, 2026, following a written complaint by the Department of Higher Education under the Union Education Ministry regarding the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. The agency said that immediately after registration of the case, special teams were formed and raids were carried out across various locations in the country, during which several suspects were detained and questioned. According to the CBI, a total of seven accused have so far been arrested from Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune and Ahilyanagar. Out of them, five accused have already been produced before the court and remanded to seven days of police custody for detailed interrogation. The remaining two accused arrested on Thursday are being produced before a court in Pune for transit remand before being shifted to Delhi. The agency said the investigation so far has identified the alleged source of the Chemistry paper leak as well as middlemen who allegedly mobilised students after collecting lakhs of rupees for access to the special coaching sessions where the leaked question bank was discussed. The CBI said the investigation into the case is continuing. (ANI)
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