NEET-UG 2026 Paper Leak: CBI Arrests Pune Coaching Faculty, Latur Doctor; Total Arrests Reach 13

Pune: The investigation into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case intensified further after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested two more accused on Wednesday, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 13.

Among those arrested are a doctor from Latur and a faculty member associated with a coaching institute in Pune. According to the CBI, Latur-based doctor Manoj Shirure allegedly helped three students, including the son of a coaching centre owner who is already under arrest, obtain leaked Chemistry questions from the accused, PV Kulkarni, ahead of the examination.

In another major development, the agency arrested Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, a Physics faculty member at Dr Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy (APMA) in Pune. Investigators claim Shah had received the leaked Physics question paper from the arrested accused Manisha Havaldar.

The CBI said its probe into the wider conspiracy and the network involved in the paper leak is still underway. So far, the agency has carried out raids at 49 locations across multiple states and seized several incriminating documents, laptops and mobile phones. Officials added that the digital and forensic examination of the seized material is currently in progress.

The case was officially registered on May 12, 2026, after the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education lodged a complaint regarding the alleged leak. Since then, multiple special investigation teams have been deployed across the country to trace the source and spread of the leaked papers.

According to the agency, the accused arrested so far are from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune, Latur and Ahilyanagar. The investigation has reportedly uncovered the source of leaked Chemistry, Biology and Physics question papers that were circulated before the NEET-UG 2026 examination.