Students from Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) and AIDSO stage a protest against the alleged leak of NEET-UG 2026 paper at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. | Photo credit: ANI
In a major breakthrough, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Pune-based chemistry professor PV Kulkarni and accused him of being behind the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. The agency has so far arrested eight accused in the case.
According to the agency, the investigation revealed that Mr. Kulkarni had access to the question papers because he was allegedly involved in the examination process on behalf of the National Testing Agency (NTA). During the last week of April 2026, he allegedly mobilized students with the help of co-accused Manisha Waghmare, a beauty salon owner, who was arrested by the CBI on May 14.
The ‘Kingpin’ conducted special coaching classes for students at his headquarters in Pune. During these sessions, he is said to have dictated the questions, the answer options and the correct answers, which the students wrote down in their notebooks. The questions are said to have exactly matched those of the actual NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3, the agency said.
Mr. Kulkarni was arrested in Pune after detailed interrogation. It originally belongs to Latur in Maharashtra.
“In the last 24 hours, the CBI has also conducted searches at several locations across the country and seized several incriminating documents, electronic gadgets and mobile phones. A detailed forensic and technical analysis of the seized items is underway,” the official said.
The agency had earlier arrested seven accused persons, including Ms. Waghmare. The others were identified as Dhananjay Lokhande of Ahilyanagar and Shubham Khairnar of Nashik in Maharashtra; Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal from Jaipur, Rajasthan; and Yash Yadav from Gurugram, Haryana.
Of these, five accused are currently in CBI custody for questioning. The remaining two are produced before a court in Pune to secure transit custody for their transfer to Delhi for further proceedings.
The agency registered the case on May 12 based on a written complaint from the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education. Subsequently, special teams were formed to follow the tracks and track down the suspects.
“The investigation so far has revealed the source of the chemical paper leak as well as the role of middlemen involved in mobilizing students who paid several crores of rupees to attend special coaching classes where these question banks were dictated and discussed,” the agency said.
The CBI is working in coordination with the police in several states, including Rajasthan and Maharashtra, to uncover the entire network behind the distribution of the ‘estimate paper’, which closely resembled the real paper. It was distributed and sold mostly through encrypted messaging apps.
Following allegations of irregularities, the NTA canceled the NEET-UG test and has now announced that it will be held again on June 21.
Published – 15 May 2026 19:37 IST
