CBI arrests coaching centre founder, leaked NEET questions found in phone

The CBI investigation into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak has led to the arrest of a coaching institute founder in Maharashtra after a seven-hour-long interrogation.

The premier investigation agency on Sunday arrested Shivraj Motegaonkar, founder and director of RCC Coaching Institute in Latur, for allegedly leaking the NEET-UG paper as part of an organised gang.

According to the agency, Motegaonkar was an active member of a gang involved in illegally circulating the paper. The arrest and search memo accessed by India Today stated that Motegaonkar colluded with other accused to obtain the NEET-UG question papers and answers on April 23.

The nationwide examination was held on May 3. However, the National Testing Agency cancelled the examination on May 12 following reports of a paper leak. The re-examination will be conducted on June 21.

CBI SEARCH AT RESIDENCE

The CBI conducted a search of Motegaonkar’s Latur residence on May 14 and recovered the leaked NEET-UG 2026 question paper on his mobile phone. The device has been seized for forensic examination.

The investigation further revealed that the accused conspired with other gang members and officials linked to the NTA to distribute copies of the leaked papers and answer sheets to multiple individuals.

However, Motegaonkar has not disclosed the names of all the recipients of the handwritten copies of the leaked question papers, the agency said.

The CBI also claimed that he destroyed the leaked papers after the examination, thereby eliminating evidence.

He has been booked under Sections 61(2), 238, 303(2), 316(5), and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita, 2023, along with sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.

MAHARASHTRA LINK TO PAPER LEAK

Maharashtra has emerged as a focal point of the CBI investigation into the NEET-UG paper leak.

Earlier, the agency had arrested PV Kulkarni, Manisha Mandhare, and Manisha Waghmare in connection with the case, with Kulkarni and Mandhare alleged to be the masterminds behind the leak.

CBI sources said that Mandhare conspired with Waghmare and Kulkarni to provide examination-related questions to selected students in exchange for substantial monetary benefits.

The Maharashtra connection has also prompted the CBI to examine the possibility of an inside job involving an NTA official.

The agency has alleged that Waghmare, in conspiracy with the other accused and an unnamed NTA official, received the question papers and answer keys a week before the examination.

Amid the ongoing probe, the government has announced that the NEET-UG examination will go fully online from 2027.

However, the emerging links between coaching institutes, NTA officials, and other intermediaries have raised serious concerns over the credibility and security of the entrance examination, which serves as the gateway to medical education in India.

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