CBI Arrests Alleged NEET Paper Leak Kingpin in Pune

PTI, May 15, 2026, New Delhi : Three days into its probe, the CBI on Friday claimed it had cracked the NEET paper leak case with the arrest of a Pune-based professor, identified as the alleged source of the leaked question paper.

Professor PV Kulkarni, a chemistry domain expert from Latur who had served for years on panels involved in setting the NEET question paper, was taken into custody from his residence in Pune, officials said.

“Kulkarni has been arrested at Pune after thorough interrogation,” a CBI spokesperson said.

According to the agency, Kulkarni allegedly exploited his privileged access to confidential material and hosted special coaching classes at his residence during the last week of April 2026. During these sessions, he allegedly dictated questions, options and answers that later appeared in the NEET-UG examination conducted on May 3, 2026.

“During the last week of April 2026, he had mobilised students, with the help of another accused namely Manisha Waghmare, who was arrested on May 14 by the CBI,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Students allegedly paid lakhs of rupees to attend the sessions, where they noted down the questions in their notebooks. Investigators said the questions later “tallied exactly” with the actual NEET-UG paper.

The CBI said its teams had identified the source of the chemistry paper leak and the middlemen involved in mobilising students who paid money to attend the alleged coaching sessions.

“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,” the spokesperson said.

A detailed forensic and technical analysis of the seized materials is currently underway.

On Thursday, the agency arrested Dhananjay Lokhande from Ahilyanagar and his associate Manisha Waghmare from Pune.

Investigators alleged that Lokhande received the paper from Waghmare and passed it on to Nashik-based Shubham Khairnar, who then allegedly forwarded it to Yash Yadav, who circulated it further.

The Central Bureau of Investigation has also arrested three individuals from Jaipur — Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal — along with Yadav from Gurugram and Khairnar from Nashik.

According to officials, Khairnar informed Yadav in April that Mangilal Biwal was willing to pay Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh to arrange leaked NEET-UG 2026 questions for his younger son.

Khairnar allegedly shared 500 to 600 questions with Yadav, assuring enough marks for admission into a reputed medical college.

Investigators said Mangilal Biwal allegedly procured the paper from Yadav, who was known to his elder son Vikas Biwal through a NEET coaching institute in Rajasthan’s Sikar.

The deal between Mangilal Biwal and Yadav was allegedly finalised for Rs 10 lakh.

Officials alleged that Mangilal Biwal later shared the paper with his son and distributed it among relatives.

Yadav also allegedly instructed Vikas Biwal to identify more NEET aspirants to whom the questions could be sold to recover part of the payment.

An analysis of digital devices seized during the investigation has reportedly revealed incriminating chats, leaked question papers and other digital evidence. The agency plans to conduct forensic examinations to recover deleted data.

The CBI has registered an FIR and formed multiple teams to investigate the alleged paper leak, which resulted in the cancellation of the examination held on May 3, 2026.

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) was conducted across 551 Indian cities and 14 overseas centres.

Nearly 23 lakh candidates had registered for the examination, which was conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

According to the NTA, information regarding alleged malpractice was received on the evening of May 7, 2026, four days after the examination. The agency said the inputs were escalated to central agencies the following morning for independent verification and necessary action.