NEET UG paper leak case: CBI arrests Latur-based doctor, Pune physics teacher

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested a doctor from Maharashtra’s Latur and a physics faculty member from a Pune-based coaching institute in connection with the alleged NEET-UG paper leak case, officials said.

According to the agency, Latur-based doctor Manoj Shirure played a “key role” in helping three students — including the son of already arrested accused Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, owner of Renukai Chemistry Classes (RCC) — gain access to leaked chemistry questions allegedly sourced from NEET paper setter P V Kulkarni.

The CBI also arrested Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, a physics teacher associated with Dr Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy (APMA) in Pune. Investigators alleged that Shah received leaked physics questions from arrested accused Manisha Havaldar.

With the latest arrests, the total number of accused held in the case has risen to 13.

“The investigation to unearth the chain as well as the conspiracy in this case is ongoing. The CBI has so far conducted searches at 49 locations and seized several incriminating documents, laptops, and mobile phones,” a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.

The NEET-UG examination, conducted by the National Testing Agency on 3 May for undergraduate medical admissions, was cancelled on 12 May following allegations of a paper leak. A re-examination has now been scheduled for 21 June.

The CBI registered the case on the basis of a complaint filed by the Department of Higher Education under the Union Education Ministry and subsequently formed multiple special investigation teams to probe the alleged leak network.

“So far, 13 accused have been arrested in this case from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune, Latur and Ahilyanagar,” the spokesperson said.

The agency earlier stated that investigators had identified the “actual source” of the leaked question papers as well as middlemen accused of recruiting students willing to pay lakhs of rupees for access to leaked questions through special coaching sessions.

“The middlemen involved in mobilising students who paid huge sums to attend coaching classes where questions likely to appear in NEET-UG 2026 were shared have also been identified and arrested,” the spokesperson added.

The NEET-UG examination was conducted across 551 cities in India and 14 overseas centres, with nearly 23 lakh candidates registering for the test.

According to the NTA, information regarding alleged malpractice surfaced on 7 May, four days after the examination, and was subsequently shared with central agencies for investigation and necessary action.

With PTI inputs