As part of its probe into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, the CBI has arrested a retired lecturer from Pune who it said was involved in the examination process on behalf of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and had access to the question papers.

The CBI is also learnt to have asked the Ministry of Education to provide a list of persons involved in the procedure of preparing the question papers.

The CBI arrested P V Kulkarni from Pune, identifying him as the “source of the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper leaks”.  “The probe has revealed that Kulkarni was involved in the process of examination on behalf of NTA. He had access to the question papers, and he organised special coaching sessions at his Pune residence during the last week of April 2026, in which students were allegedly mobilised and taught the leaked material,” a CBI spokesperson said.

Kulkarni was a chemistry lecturer at the Dayanand Junior College in Latur. College principal Prof Sidheshwar Bellale, speaking to The Indian Express over phone, said Kulkarni retired in 2022-23.

“Two years after his retirement, he shifted from Latur to Pune and has been based there. Our college has had no relation with him after his retirement. No such incident occurred when he was teaching here,” Bellale said.

He said that Kulkarni, in addition to setting examination papers for the NTA, had earlier been involved in setting Class 12 board examination papers for the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE).

Kishore Panse, another retired chemistry lecturer from Dayanand Junior College, said Kulkarni had also served as the chief moderator of the chemistry paper for the Latur Divisional Board of MSBSHSE.

MSBSHSE chairperson Trigun Kulkarni did not respond to a request for comment on Kulkarni’s connection with the board.

Following his arrest in Pune, Kulkarni was being taken to Delhi. The CBI said students allegedly paid several lakhs to attend the special coaching classes, where the leaked questions were dictated and discussed.

The CBI also arrested one Manisha Waghmare from Pune. “Kulkarni had organised special coaching classes with the help of Waghmare. He dictated the questions along with options and the correct answers during these special coaching classes, and the questions were handwritten by students in their notebooks and have exactly tallied with the actual question paper of NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3,” the CBI spokesperson said.

The agency had registered a case on May 12 following a written complaint from the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education. The CBI then formed special teams and launched coordinated searches and arrests at multiple locations.

“In the past 24 hours, searches were conducted at several sites across the country, leading to seizure of documents, electronic devices and mobile phones,” an official said.

So far, seven persons have been arrested from Jaipur, Gurgaon, Nashik, Pune and Ahliyanagar. Five of them have already been produced before courts and remanded to police custody for detailed questioning. Transit remand was being obtained for the remaining two persons, the CBI said.

The agency also questioned Shivraj Motegaokar, who runs the Latur-based RCC Coaching Classes chain, for nearly 11 hours Thursday.

Motegaokar’s chain has branches across Maharashtra and is among the prominent coaching institutes for medical entrance examinations. Investigators are examining allegations that “mock question papers” circulated at the coaching classes contained questions that later figured in the NEET-UG examination paper.

The probe has put the spotlight on Latur’s large coaching industry which, over the years, has emerged as one of Maharashtra’s largest centres for medical and engineering entrance coaching, with students travelling from different districts to prepare for competitive examinations.