New Delhi, May 15 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested an alleged kingpin in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, as it claimed to have identified the original source of the chemistry question paper leak linked to the national-level medical entrance examination.

According to the agency, the accused, identified as Chemistry lecturer P.V. Kulkarni, associated with the examination process on behalf of the National Testing Agency (NTA), had access to the confidential question papers.

CBI officials said investigations revealed that Kulkarni, during the last week of April 2, allegedly organised special coaching sessions for selected students at his residence in Pune.

During these sessions, Kulkarni allegedly dictated questions, multiple-choice options, and correct answers related to the Chemistry paper of NEET-UG 2026. Investigators said students wrote down the questions and answers in notebooks, which were later found to exactly match the actual Chemistry question paper used in the examination conducted on May 3.

The students were reportedly mobilised with the help of another accused, Manisha Waghmare, who was arrested by the agency on May 14.

The agency said Kulkarni, originally from Maharashtra’s Latur district, was arrested in Pune after extensive interrogation.

In the last 24 hours, CBI teams also carried out searches at several locations across the country. During the raids, officials seized incriminating documents, electronic gadgets, and mobile phones. The agency said forensic and technical analysis of the seized material is currently underway.

The CBI had registered the case on May 12 following a written complaint from the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education regarding the alleged leak of the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper.

Soon after registering the FIR, the agency formed multiple special investigation teams and launched coordinated searches at different locations nationwide. Several suspects were detained and questioned during the operation.

So far, seven accused have been arrested from Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune, and Ahilyanagar. Of these, five accused have already been produced before the court and sent to seven days of police custody for further interrogation.

The remaining two accused, arrested on Thursday, would be brought before a Pune court for transit remand before being shifted to Delhi.

CBI officials said the investigation is continuing, and so far, the source of the Chemistry paper leak has been exposed, and 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 and discussed, have been identified.

–IANS

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