The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Pune-based Professor PV Kulkarni, accused of being the main conspirator or ‘Kingpin’ in the NEET paper leak case, from his residence in Pune, officials said on Friday.
Accused Kulkarni, a native of Latur and a chemistry major, had served on the panel responsible for framing the NEET question paper for several years, officials said, according to a PTI report.
How Prof PV Kulkarni became ‘king’ in NEET paper leak case
He was linked to the examination process conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), which gave him access to the question papers, officials told Hindustan Times.
Kuljarni mobilized the students with the help of co-accused Manisha Waghmare in the last week of April ahead of the May 3 examination, which was later cancelled, CBI officials said.
Officials said he allegedly organized special coaching sessions at his home using his access to question papers. During these classes, he is accused of dictating questions along with multiple choice and correct answers.
The students wrote down the dictated content in their notepads, which was later found to “exactly match” the NEET-UG 2026 question paper conducted on May 3, the official added, according to PTI.
The Rouse Avenue Court charges the accused in CBI custody for six days
On Friday, a Rouse Avenue court sent accused Dhananjay Lokhande to six-day CBI custody in connection with the NEET UG paper leak case. The agency said the detention was necessary to track down and arrest the NTA officials who were allegedly involved in a wider conspiracy, according to ANI.
Read also | NEET 2026 cancellation: FAIMA moves SC over ‘systematic failure’ of NTA
Seeking custody, the CBI said Lokhande, also known as co-accused Shubham Madhukar Khairnar, had obtained the NEET 2026 exam materials from another accused, Manisha Waghmare, a resident of Pune.
According to the agency, Lokhande then handed over the leaked question paper to Khairnar, who subsequently sent copies of the paper to Yash Yadav via telegram on April 24.
The CBI further said that after receiving the NEET 2026 examination paper, Dhananjay Lokhande allegedly handed it over to co-accused Shubham Madhukar Khairnar. It was also reported that on April 24, Yash Yadav received a PDF copy of the leaked question paper from Khairnar through a telegram.
The agency claimed Lokhande’s custodial interrogation was necessary to obtain digital devices, electronic records and details of financial transactions, as well as to trace National Testing Agency officials allegedly involved in the leak and uncover a wider conspiracy.
Read also | NEET 2026 Paper Leak Racket Exposed: Complete Modus Operandi at a Glance
After hearing both sides, Special Judge Ajay Gupta granted Lokhande six days of police custody to the CBI. Five more accused have also been sent to CBI custody for seven days and all the accused are scheduled to be produced before the court on May 22.
During the hearing, CBI prosecutor Neetu Singh informed the court that Lokhande was arrested on May 13 in Ahilya Nagar, Maharashtra and was later taken on a two-day transit investigation warrant granted by an Ahmednagar court the same evening.
Opposing the remand, defense counsel Vikram Singh argued that neither the accused nor his family had been provided with an arrest record and alleged that blank documents had been signed. He further argued that detention was unnecessary as all enforcement had already been completed.
Read also | NEET paper leak: The exam will be computer based instead of OMR from next year
According to the investigation, Lokhande allegedly obtained the question paper from co-accused Manisha Waghmare from Pune and then handed it over to Khairnar. The investigation also uncovered suspicious financial transactions in the area ₹6 lakh between Lokhande and Khairnar, supported by bank records and electronic evidence collected during the investigation.
The CBI said accused Shubham Madhukar Khairnar allegedly obtained the leaked question paper with the intention of selling it for monetary gain. He is further accused of allowing Yash Yadav to circulate the leaked paper of NEET (UG) 2026. Subsequently, on April 29, Yadav allegedly received PDF files of the question paper via telegram, which included the Physics, Chemistry and Biology papers, which have since been recovered.
The CBI is also questioning five other accused persons in connection with the case. Investigators say Khairnar from Nashik obtained the NEET UG question paper on April 28, 2025 from Dhananjay Lokhande, who allegedly obtained it through a contact linked to the NTA.
A special CBI court on Thursday sent the five accused — Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal, Dinesh Biwal, Yash Yadav and Shubham Khairnar — to CBI custody for seven days. Seeking custody, the agency said the interrogation was necessary to identify officials of the National Testing Agency and other departments allegedly involved in the leak of the NEET UG 2026 paper before the exam.
The CBI further said that Khairnar played a key role in distributing the leaked question paper to Yash Yadav in Gurugram.
Meanwhile, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Friday that the NEET-UG re-examination is scheduled for June 21. He also said that starting next year, the medical entrance exam will be conducted as a computer-based test as part of reforms introduced in response to allegations of irregularities in the examination process.
(With input from agencies)
