New Delhi: CBI claims to have identified and arrested the alleged kingpin of the NEET-UG paper leak case. PV Kulkarni, a chemistry lecturer involved in the process of examination on behalf of NTA, has been taken into custody by the agency.CBI in a statement on Friday said Kulkarni "had access to the question papers".In April last week, Kulkarni had allegedly "mobilised students with the help of co-accused Manisha Waghmare and conducted special coaching classes for these students at his residence in Pune". Manisha, a 46-year-old beautician from Pune, was held by CBI on May 14, and is currently in its custody.The agency claimed that Kulkarni "dictated questions along with options and correct answers during these special coaching classes and the questions so dictated were handwritten by students in their notebooks and have exactly tallied with actual question paper of the NEET-UG 2026 examination."Kulkarni was arrested in Pune after thorough interrogation. He originally belongs to Latur. "In the last 24 hours, CBI also conducted searches at several locations and seized several incriminating documents, electronic gadgets and mobile phones. Detailed forensic and technical analysis of the seized items is going on," the agency said in its statement.The possible role of NTA officials is under CBI scanner. The agency, in the past two days, on two separate occasions, has told a special court that it needs to "identify" NTA officials "involved in leak".On Friday, the agency reiterated the involvement of NTA officials while seeking the custodial interrogation of another co-accused Dhananjay Lokhande."The custodial interrogation of Dhananjay Lokhande was required to prevent commission of similar offences involving leakage of question papers, apprehension of other co-accused, to recover the digital devices and financial trail and also to identify the officials of NTA involved in the paper leakage and unearth the larger conspiracy," the court recorded CBI's submission in its order. According to people in the know, CBI will soon quiz NTA officials.Unlike 2024, when CBI, from the outset, had maintained that there "was no widespread, systemic breach that could have affected" the entire examination of NEET-UG 2024 which was also leaked, the agency this time has explicitly claimed the alleged involvement of NTA officials.In its remand paper, filed on Friday, CBI maintained that in April, Mangilal Bilwal, a co-accused from Jaipur, had approached Shubham of Nashik for arranging question paper before exam for his younger son for ₹10-12 lakh in turn informed Yash Yadav, co-accused.On April 29, Shubham asked Yash Yadav to arrange original class 10 and 12 documents, NEET roll number details and a cheque from Mangilal as security deposit. On April 29, Shubham allegedly informed Yash Yadav that he would provide leaked question papers of Physics, Chemistry and Biology having 500-600 questions ensuring good marks and admission in reputed medical colleges. Another co-accused Dhananjay Lokhande, who is known to Shubham, collected NEET examination material for 2026 from co-accused Manisha Waghmare, Pune. He received the leaked paper from Manisha Waghmare and transmitted it to Shubham. CBI claims to have recovered the WhatsApp chats of Yash Yadav with Shubham from the mobile phone of Yash Yadav. Shubham deleted the incriminating chat but was seized for forensic examination, the agency told the court. It is alleged that Yash Yadav had circulated the question paper to the co-accused for monetary gains.