The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, founder of Maharashtra-based Renukai Chemistry Classes (RCC), in connection with the alleged NEET UG 2026 paper leak case after investigators allegedly recovered a leaked question paper from his mobile phone, officials said on Monday.
The arrest came a day after the CBI conducted searches at RCC’s main office in Latur city’s Shivnagar locality as part of its ongoing probe into the alleged leak of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) paper.
According to officials, a leaked question paper for the medical entrance examination was found on Motegaonkar’s mobile phone during searches carried out by the agency on Sunday.
The CBI has alleged that Motegaonkar was an active member of an organised gang involved in the leakage and circulation of the NEET UG paper.
Officials said Motegaonkar, in conspiracy with other accused, received the question paper and answers of the NEET UG Exam, 2026 ahead of the April 23, 2026 examination and allegedly circulated the paper to several persons.
The federal agency had earlier questioned Motegaonkar for nearly eight hours at his residence in Latur on Friday.
Sources said the CBI suspects that some doctors from Latur may have purchased the allegedly leaked NEET examination paper.
A CBI team has been camping in Latur for the past four days as part of the investigation.
The agency has registered an FIR and formed multiple teams to probe the alleged paper leak, which led to the cancellation of the examination held on May 3.
The NEET-UG examination was conducted across 551 cities in India and 14 overseas centres, with nearly 23 lakh candidates registering for the test administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
According to the NTA, information regarding alleged malpractice was received on the evening of May 7, four days after the examination, and was escalated to central agencies the following morning for “independent verification and necessary action”.
The CBI has already arrested several individuals from Maharashtra in connection with the case. On Saturday, the agency arrested Pune-based Biology lecturer Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, a member of the NTA’s paper-setting committee, after questioning her at its headquarters in Delhi.