GUWAHATI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, founder of Renukai Career Centre (RCC) in Latur, Maharashtra, in connection with the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, officials said on Monday.
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The arrest was made on Sunday evening, May 17, following searches at the institute’s main office in Latur’s Shivnagar locality, during which investigators allegedly recovered a leaked question paper from Motegaonkar’s personal mobile phone. The agency said the material is a key piece of evidence in the ongoing probe.
According to the CBI, Motegaonkar received the NEET-UG question paper and answers on April 23, nearly 10 days before the examination held on May 3, as part of a wider conspiracy involving other accused persons. The agency alleged he was an “active member of an organised gang” responsible for leaking and circulating the paper.
Officials further alleged that he distributed handwritten copies of the leaked question paper and answer sheets to several individuals, which were later destroyed after the examination.
The agency has also seized his mobile phone and sent it for forensic examination to retrieve deleted data, officials said.
With this arrest, the total number of accused taken into custody in the case has risen to 10 across multiple states, with earlier arrests linked to different layers of the alleged distribution network.
The CBI has sought 10 days’ custody of Motegaonkar for further interrogation to uncover the wider conspiracy and identify other members of the network. The plea was opposed by the accused’s counsel. The matter is being heard by the Rouse Avenue Court.
The NEET-UG 2026 examination, held on May 3, was later cancelled on May 12 by the National Testing Agency following reports of a suspected paper leak. The re-examination is scheduled for June 21.