New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday arrested chemistry teacher PV Kulkarni in connection with the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case. Officials identified him as the alleged mastermind behind the leak of the chemistry section of the medical entrance examination.
Kulkarni is originally from Latur in Maharashtra and worked in Pune, where he was arrested. According to the agency, he had links with the examination process of the National Testing Agency, which gave him access to the question papers. However, officials did not disclose further details about his exact role.
Special classes held before exam
CBI officials said Kulkarni, along with co-accused Manisha Waghmare, gathered students during the last week of April 2026 and organised special coaching sessions at his residence in Pune.
The NEET-UG examination was held on May 3 before being cancelled amid allegations of a leak. The test will now be conducted again on June 21. More than 22 lakh students appeared for the exam, making it the country’s largest entrance test.
Investigators alleged that Kulkarni dictated questions, answer options and correct responses during the coaching sessions. Students reportedly wrote down the details in notebooks.
According to the agency, the handwritten material “exactly tallied” with the actual chemistry question paper used in the NEET-UG 2026 examination.
Searches conducted across cities
The CBI said its investigation progressed after searches were carried out at several locations across the country. Officials seized documents, mobile phones and electronic devices believed to be linked to the leak.
The agency added that forensic and technical analysis of the seized materials is still underway.
The case was registered by the CBI on May 12 after a complaint from the Union Ministry of Education. The matter first surfaced in Rajasthan on May 7, after which special investigation teams were formed.
Seven accused arrested so far
By May 14, the agency had arrested seven accused from Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune and Ahilyanagar. Five of them have already been produced before a court and sent to seven days of custody remand for questioning.
The remaining two accused, arrested on Thursday, were being presented before a Pune court for transit remand to Delhi.
“The probe so far has brought out the actual source of the leakage of Chemistry paper as well as the middlemen involved in mobilising the students who paid several lakhs of rupees to attend the special coaching classes where these question banks were dictated/discussed. The CBI is committed to comprehensive, impartial and professional investigation in this case,” the agency said.