The alleged kingpin in NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has claimed to have identified the original source of the chemistry question paper leak linked to the national-level medical entrance examination.
The central agency has identified the accused as Chemistry lecturer PV Kulkarni, who was associated with the examination process on behalf of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and had access to the confidential question papers.
During the investigation, CBI officials found out that Kulkarni allegedly organised special coaching sessions for selected students at his residence in Pune.
During these sessions, the accused is believed to have dictated questions, multiple-choice options, and correct answers related to the Chemistry paper of NEET-UG 2026. Investigators said students wrote down the questions and answers in notebooks that were later found to exactly match the actual Chemistry question paper used in the examination conducted on May 3, IANS reported.
Later on, the students were allegedly mobilised with the help of another accused, Manisha Waghmare, who was taken into custody on May 14.
Kulkarni, originally from Maharashtra’s Latur district, was arrested in Pune after extensive interrogation, CBI officials said.
Over the past 24 hours, CBI even carried out searches at several locations across the country. During the raids, they seized incriminating documents, electronic gadgets, and mobile phones. It added that forensic and technical analysis of the seized material is currently underway.
The case was registered by the CBI on May 12 after a written complaint from the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education regarding the alleged leak of the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper.
As of now, seven accused have been arrested from Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune, and Ahilyanagar. Out of them, five were produced before the court and sent to seven days of police custody for further interrogation. The remaining two would be brought before a Pune court for transit remand before being shifted to Delhi.