CBI detains Maharashtra doctor who bought leaked NEET paper for niece, nephew

The probe into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak has led the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to focus on a doctor in Latur who allegedly purchased a leaked NEET guess paper for his niece and nephew.

The CBI on Thursday detained Dr Manoj Shirure, a paediatrician practising in Latur, and took him to Pune for further questioning. He is likely to be brought to New Delhi and formally arrested by the agency.

According to the CBI, Shirure is known to Pune-based Professor PV Kulkarni and RCC Classes director Shivraj Motegaonkar, both of whom have already been arrested in the case.

According to the probe agency, Kulkarni held special classes at Shirure's hospital in Latur just before the NEET examination. Motegaonkar's son had also attended these sessions, where the guess paper was leaked, as per the CBI probe.

Separate CBI teams have also questioned Motegaonkar's son and Shirure's niece and nephew.

The development comes days after the CBI raided the residence of Bhaurao Kadam, who investigators alleged had paid 5 lakh to obtain the leaked question paper for his daughter ahead of the examination.

The search operation, which lasted nearly eight hours, was carried out at Kadam’s residence in the Vidyutnagar area of Nanded. Officials examined documents and other materials and questioned members of his family during the raid.

Following the operation, the CBI directed Kadam and his family members to appear before the agency in Pune for further questioning.

The raid followed the arrest of Kulkarni and Motegaonkar, as the probe agency continues to trace a chain connecting Pune, Latur and Nanded, while also examining whether aspirants and parents paid money to access the paper in advance.

On May 12, the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled NEET-UG 2026 which was held on May 3, stating that inputs from law enforcement agencies indicated the integrity of the examination process had been compromised.

Around 22 lakh candidates had appeared for the medical entrance test, making it one of the country’s largest examinations. The exam will now be conducted again on June 21.

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