New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Wednesday arrested two more accused in the NEET-UG question paper leak case—a Latur-based paediatrician and a Physics tutor at a Pune coaching institute—as its probe closes in on the full chain of the conspiracy.
A CBI spokesperson said the paediatrician Dr Manoj Shirure allegedly helped three students–among them the son of a coaching centre founder also arrested in the case–obtain leaked Chemistry questions of the entrance exam.
Those questions, the spokesperson said, were sourced from the prime accused, P.V. Kulkarni, a subject-matter expert and translator with the National Testing Agency (NTA). CBI has identified Kulkarni as the central figure in compromising the question paper.
NTA is the body that organises NEET.
The second accused arrested Wednesday is Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, a Physics faculty member at Dr Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy (APMA) in Pune.
The CBI spokesperson said Shah obtained leaked Physics questions from co-accused Manisha Havaldar, a fellow Physics teacher employed at Pune’s Seth Hiralal Saraf Prashala. Havaldar was also an NTA subject expert who had been part of the NEET-UG 2026 examination process.
The agency said its investigation has now established the “actual source” of the leaks across all three subjects—Chemistry, Biology and Physics— before the examination. A chargesheet connecting all the elements will be filed within days.
Wednesday’s arrests take the count of accused to 13 suspects, held after the agency took over the probe from the Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG).
The investigation began from Rajasthan after the SOG found that a family from Sikar had purchased the question papers, and eventually reached Maharashtra’s Latur and Pune, which have emerged as epicentre of the leaks.
“Investigation to unearth the chain as well as the conspiracy in this case is ongoing. CBI has so far conducted searches at 49 locations in various places and seized several incriminating documents, Laptops, and mobile phones. Detailed analysis of the seized items is going on,” the CBI spokesperson said.
NEET-UG 2026 was held on 3 May, but the exam was cancelled days later after NTA received information about the paper leak. A re-test for the medical entrance exam will now be held again on 21 June.
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