The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, the director of Renukai Career Centre (RCC) in Latur, on Sunday night in connection with the NEET UG paper leak case. This arrest has shifted the investigative focus of the central agency towards suspects involved in the question leak racket operating from Nanded district.
Arrest and Investigation Details
A CBI team from Bengaluru detained Motegaonkar in Latur after conducting searches at his residence. He was taken to the Pune CBI office late Sunday night and later arrested following questioning. On Monday morning, the CBI transported him to Delhi for further proceedings.
Motegaonkar operates a chain of coaching classes across Maharashtra. The CBI suspects that the leaked questions were circulated through selected coaching centre networks under the guise of "mock tests" conducted shortly before the NEET-UG examination. A source revealed that Motegaonkar had previously come under the CBI's radar and was questioned when he visited Pune earlier.
A CBI officer stated, "Motegaonkar has been seen in a video saying in his coaching centre that the questions he gave to students were present in the final question paper." The agency believes that Motegaonkar may have leaked the questions to a large number of candidates through his coaching institute. His links with co-accused Prahlad Kulkarni are also under investigation.
Student and Parent Interactions
Several students who appeared in the NEET examination, along with their parents, visited the Pune CBI office on Monday. According to sources, the CBI questioned them as part of the ongoing investigation.
Evidence and Conspiracy
The CBI's investigation revealed that Motegaonkar, in a criminal conspiracy with other accused individuals, provided copies of the leaked question paper and answer sheet to several people, including an identified person from Nanded. The agency is now focusing on these suspects, the officer added.
According to the CBI's statement to the court in Delhi, Motegaonkar is involved in the leak and circulation of NEET-UG questions in conspiracy with other accused. The CBI said he received the chemistry questions and answers prior to the examination on April 23. The leaked questions of the NEET UG 2026 were allegedly found in his cellphone.
Background of the Accused
Born into a farmer's family in Hanmantwadi village of Renapur taluka, Motegaonkar faced severe financial hardships during his childhood and had to struggle to pursue education. He later moved to Latur for higher studies and completed his postgraduation in chemistry from Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University.
Motegaonkar initially worked as a lecturer on an hourly basis at colleges in Latur and Umerga. Later, he started private tuition classes in Latur. After establishing himself in the coaching sector, he founded Renukai Career Centre (RCC). Initially, Motegaonkar taught only chemistry. Realizing that the education business was highly profitable, he expanded the setup by arranging coaching for all subjects under one roof.
Previous Arrests in the Case
The CBI noted that Dhananjay Nivrutti Lokhande, arrested earlier from Ahalyanagar, collected the leaked NEET question paper from beauty parlour owner Manisha Waghmare, who was also arrested in the case. Lokhande gave the leaked paper to Shubham Madhukar Khairnar, who was also arrested. Junior college teacher Manisha Mandhare, a member of the NTA and involved in the process of setting the paper, was also arrested last week.
With inputs from Mohammed Akhef in Chhatrapati Shivajinagar.
