The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday claimed to have identified the alleged kingpin behind the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper leak, revealing details of a multi-city operation involving special coaching sessions, handwritten question notes and alleged insider access to confidential examination material.
According to the CBI, P.V. Kulkarni, a chemistry lecturer associated with examination-related processes on behalf of the National Testing Agency (NTA), had access to the NEET-UG 2026 question papers and allegedly leaked questions to selected students before the examination held on May 3, 2026.
Investigators said the accused conducted special coaching classes at his residence in Pune during the last week of April 2026 with the assistance of another accused, Manisha Waghmare, who was arrested by the CBI on May 14.
The agency alleged that during these coaching sessions, Kulkarni dictated questions along with multiple-choice options and correct answers to students. The questions were reportedly handwritten by students in notebooks, which investigators later recovered during searches. According to the CBI, those handwritten questions “exactly tallied” with the actual NEET-UG 2026 examination paper conducted on May 3.
Officials described the findings as a major breakthrough in the investigation, which has triggered nationwide outrage over the integrity of one of India’s most competitive medical entrance examinations. NEET-UG is the gateway for admission to undergraduate medical courses across the country and is taken by lakhs of students annually.
The CBI said that seven accused persons have so far been arrested from multiple locations, including Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune and Ahilyanagar. Out of them, five accused have already been produced before courts and remanded to seven-day police custody for detailed interrogation.
The remaining two accused arrested on Thursday are being produced before a Pune court for transit remand and will subsequently be shifted to Delhi for further proceedings. Investigators are now probing whether a larger organised network involving middlemen, coaching operators or insiders linked to examination systems was involved in the alleged leak.
The NEET-UG controversy has intensified political and public scrutiny over examination security mechanisms in India following repeated allegations of paper leaks, irregularities and organised cheating rackets in recruitment and entrance examinations across several states.
Officials said forensic examination of seized notebooks, electronic devices, financial transactions and communication records is underway. The agency is also examining whether monetary exchanges took place in return for access to leaked questions.
The case has reignited concerns among students and parents regarding fairness and transparency in national-level competitive examinations. Education experts have called for stronger digital security systems, stricter monitoring of confidential examination processes and accountability mechanisms within agencies handling high-stakes tests.
The CBI indicated that further arrests are possible as the investigation expands into the wider network allegedly involved in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak operation.