Pune, 15 May. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has got a big success in the paper leak case of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2026. The agency has arrested Professor PV Kulkarni from Pune, who is being said to be the alleged ‘mastermind’ of this entire racket.
Professor of Chemistry at Dayanand Medical College, Latur, Maharashtra
Actually, Professor Kulkarni is a Professor of Chemistry at Dayanand Medical College, Latur, Maharashtra and according to the information received, he was also a part of the team that prepared the NEET-UG paper this year.
A big player emerged from within NTA!
This arrest is considered very important because the investigation now seems to be reaching directly to the people sitting inside the examination system. While in the case of 2024, direct questions were not raised on NTA, this time the investigation is pointing towards ‘insider role’ from the very beginning.
How did the alleged paper leak??
According to the CBI investigation, in the last week of April 2026, Kulkarni used his official access to send questions to selected students. His associate Manisha Waghmare also helped in this, who was arrested on May 14.
at his home in Pune Kulkarni used to run ‘special coaching classes’
According to the investigating agencies, Kulkarni used to run ‘special coaching classes’ at his home in Pune. Lakhs of rupees were charged from students to join these classes. It is alleged that he used to dictate possible questions, options and correct answers to the students. The notebooks of the students were seized and forensic investigation found that the questions written in them completely matched with the original NEET-UG 2026 paper held on May 3.
Raids continue across the country
Interestingly, CBI has conducted raids in many states in the last 24 hours. The agency has seized mobile phones, electronic devices and many important documents. Now Kulkarni will first be produced in Pune court, then may be taken to Delhi for further questioning.
Big questions on NTA
Overall, the arrest of the member of the team preparing the paper has raised serious questions on the credibility of the National Testing Agency. CBI officials have also started investigation by going to NTA headquarters to find out who was involved in the process from paper preparation to reaching the examination centres. This investigation was started on May 12 after a complaint by the Higher Education Department. So far, eight people have been arrested from several cities including Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune and Ahilyanagar.
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