Desk Correspondent , Mumbai — The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested PV Kulkarni, a retired chemistry teacher identified as the "kingpin" behind the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. Following widespread allegations ofcompromise, the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the mega medical entrance test taken by over 22 lakh students, rescheduling it for June 21. Kulkarni, who allegedly utilized his past association with the NTA to access confidential materials, was apprehended alongside seven other suspects during multi-state raids spanning Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune, and Ahilyanagar.

Investigators revealed that the leak was executed through exclusive, secretly organized coaching sessions held at Kulkarni’s Pune residence in late April. Partnering with co-accused Manisha Waghmare, Kulkarni dictated the exact questions, multiple-choice options, and answers to a select group of students, who transcribed them into notebooks. A forensic analysis by the CBI confirmed that these seized handwritten student notes exactly tallied with the official Chemistry section of the exam. A network of middlemen allegedly facilitated the operation, charging students lakhs of rupees for entry into these clandestine sessions.

The probe has now intensified across Maharashtra, with a 28-member CBI team questioning Shivraj Motegaonkar, the director of Renukai Chemistry Classes (RCC) in Latur, to uncover deeper institutional links. The agency took over the case on May 12 following a formal complaint from the Union Education Ministry, after irregularities first surfaced in Rajasthan on May 7. Numerous digital devices, mobile phones, and incriminating documents have been seized for technical analysis as federal investigators look to dismantle the wider pan-India network involved in the scam.