New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a retired chemistry professor identified as a key figure in the NEET-UG 2026 question paper leak scandal. The arrest of PV Kulkarni, who served on the National Testing Agency (NTA) panel responsible for preparing the exam questions, took place in Latur on Friday.
Kulkarni, with more than three decades of experience in academia, played a direct role in setting the NEET-UG 2026 paper. The Times of India (TOI) had earlier reported that the CBI was focusing on individuals involved in question preparation. According to agency officials, the professor initially tried to sell the paper through local contacts but expanded his efforts after potential buyers questioned its legitimacy.
In the final week of April, Kulkarni, with assistance from co-accused Manisha Waghmare, organized special coaching sessions at his Pune residence. During these classes, he reportedly dictated the questions, along with their options and correct answers. Students noted them down by hand, and their notebooks later matched the actual question paper used in the May 3 examination, the CBI stated.
The agency continues to scrutinize additional individuals linked to the question-setting process. Investigators have highlighted that this breach differs from previous leaks, as it involved someone with direct access at the source rather than intermediaries breaking in at later stages, such as during distribution at examination centres.
The probe has extended to coaching institutes. CBI officials questioned the director of a Latur-based centre operating across Maharashtra, searched his premises, seized his mobile phone, and summoned him for further interrogation at the Pune office.
As previously reported by TOI, the CBI has requested comprehensive details from the NTA on all stakeholders who accessed the paper before sealing, including question setters, subject experts, panel professors, and teachers, along with the full preparation workflow.
Kulkarni becomes the eighth person arrested in the case. Waghmare was detained earlier alongside six others. She reportedly received funds from approximately 21 bank accounts before the May 3 exam. Operating a beauty parlour in Pune, she served as an intermediary for another accused, Dhananjay Lokhande, a BAMS graduate running a consultancy in the city.
In New Delhi, a special CBI court under Judge Ajay Gupta remanded Lokhande to six days of police custody. The agency emphasized the need to identify any NTA officials potentially involved in the leak.