Ten people have been arrested in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), as authorities continue to trace how the question paper was leaked and identify those linked to the scandal.All India Students' Association (AISA) members stage a protest against the National Testing Agency (NTA) over the paper leak concerns following the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 examination, at Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi. (PTI)On Monday, the CBI arrested Shivraj Motegaonkar, who runs a coaching institute in Maharashtra's Latur, in connection with the case. He is the 10th person to be arrested in the ongoing investigation.Where the NEET paper leak probe stands: List of arrestsPV Kulkarni (Pune)The first person identified by investigators as a "mastermind" in the CBI investigation was retired chemistry lecturer PV Kulkarni, whom officials described as the kingpin behind the network.Originally from Maharashtra’s Latur, Kulkarni was working in Pune, where he was arrested. He was also linked to the NEET examination process through the National Testing Agency (NTA), which allegedly gave him access to sensitive material.He is accused of sharing questions, multiple-choice options, and correct answers during special coaching sessions, according to an earlier HT report. Students reportedly noted these details in notebooks, and investigators later found that they "exactly tallied" with the original NEET-UG 2026 question paper.Manisha Gurunath Mandhare (Pune)The second person identified as a "mastermind" in the case was Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, a senior Botany teacher from Pune who was also part of the NTA panel responsible for preparing the medical entrance examination papers.According to the CBI, she had complete access to the Botany and Zoology sections of the examination paper. During coaching classes, she allegedly discussed several Botany and Zoology questions and asked students to note them down in notebooks and mark them in textbooks.Manisha Waghmare (Pune)Another key accused from Pune, Manisha Waghmare, who operates a beauty parlour, was arrested on May 14 for allegedly mobilising students for the coaching classes run by Mandhare and Kulkarni.Investigators suspect she was responsible for finding parents and students willing to pay for assured success in the highly competitive medical entrance examination and linking them to others involved in the network.Dhananjay Lokhande (Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra)Lokhande was arrested in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar for his alleged involvement in the paper leak operation.Investigators claim Waghmare connected parents and students to him in return for money.Shubham Khairnar (Nashik)Twenty-seven-year-old BAMS student Shubham Khairnar was arrested from his home in Indiranagar, Nashik.Police sources in Nashik said Lokhande allegedly sent a packet containing the NEET question paper to Khairnar, who is believed to have paid ₹10 lakh for it.During interrogation, Khairnar allegedly told investigators that he later sent the question paper electronically to a Gurugram-based individual in Haryana and received ₹15 lakh in return.Yash Yadav (Haryana)Investigators alleged that Khairnar later passed the material to Gurugram resident Yash Yadav.Yadav allegedly sold it to Jaipur resident Mangilal Biwal, also known as Mangilal Khatik, for ₹10 lakh after claiming that nearly 150 questions would match the final paper.Yadav has also been arrested in the case.Vikas Biwal, Mangilal Biwal and Dinesh Biwal (Jaipur)Authorities are also investigating members of BJP worker Dinesh Biwal's family due to their alleged long-standing association with Haryana-based paper supplier Yash Yadav.Investigators also became suspicious after several family members secured admission to government medical colleges despite average academic performance.Last week, the CBI arrested Dinesh Biwal, his brother Mangilal and Mangilal's son Vikas.According to investigations by the Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG) and the CBI, Mangilal allegedly received the leaked question paper from Yash Yadav via Telegram on April 29.Mangilal allegedly handed printed copies of the leaked paper to his son Aman Biwal, Dinesh's son Rishi, and their elder brother Ghanshyam's daughter Gunjan, all of whom appeared for the examination on May 3, investigators said.Dinesh and Mangilal, who belong to Jaipur district's Jamwa Ramgarh area, were previously involved in money lending and real estate businesses. About five years ago, the family moved to Sikar with seven children to prepare them for the NEET examinations.Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar (Latur)Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, founder of one of Maharashtra's leading coaching networks for medical and engineering entrance examinations, has also been arrested by the CBI.For around two decades, Renukai Career Centre, known as RCC or 'Motegaonkar Sir's classes', has been recognised by students across Maharashtra as a pathway towards medical studies.CBI officials earlier told HT that Motegaonkar was "a member of an organised syndicate involved in the paper leak".Investigators said they found the NEET question paper on his mobile phone. He allegedly received it on April 23, 10 days before the examination on May 3.