The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has identified the alleged kingpin behind the NEET UG 2026 examination paper leak case. According to the agency, the accused has been identified as P V Kulkarni, a Chemistry lecturer who was involved in the examination process on behalf of the National Testing Agency (NTA) for years and had access to the question papers.
The CBI said its investigation revealed that during the last week of April, Kulkarni allegedly mobilised students with the help of another accused, Manisha Waghmare, who was arrested by the agency on May 14. The accused reportedly conducted special coaching classes for selected students at his residence in Pune, Maharashtra. Kulkarni originally hails from the Latur district.
The examination for admission to undergraduate medical courses, conducted on May 3, was cancelled on May 12 following allegations of a paper leak. The Centre then tasked the CBI to probe the case.
The NEET UG 2026 re-exam will now be held on June 21 from 2 pm to 5.15 pm.
Kulkarni dictated NEET UG question paper to coaching students
During these classes, Kulkarni allegedly dictated questions, answer options and correct answers to the students, who wrote them down in their notebooks. According to the CBI, the handwritten questions exactly matched the actual NEET UG 2026 question paper conducted on May 3.
The agency said that seven accused persons have so far been arrested from Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune and Ahilyanagar in connection with the case. Kulkarni's arrest brings the total number of accused nabbed in the case to eight.
Out of the seven previously arrested, 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 and will subsequently be shifted to Delhi for further proceedings.
In the last 24 hours, CBI has also conducted searches at several locations across the country and seized several incriminating documents, electronic gadgets and mobile phones. Detailed forensic and technical analysis of the seized items is going on.
How the leak came to light
According to the Latur police, some parents had lodged complaints alleging that 42 questions from a mock test conducted by a coaching institute completely matched the questions in the NEET UG exam held on May 3.
The police then investigated a reputed private coaching institute following a written complaint submitted by the parent of a student. The complaint claims that 42 questions asked in the mock test matched exactly with those in the actual NEET examination.
A senior police officer from Latur said the CBI was informed about the probe leading to the unmasking of the "kingpin" PV Kulkarni.