CBI arrests Latur coaching centre founder in NEET-UG paper leak case; exam questions found on phone

New Delhi: The CBI arrested Renukai Career Centre founder Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar on Sunday over his alleged involvement in the NEET-UG paper leak, agency officials said on Monday.

Motegaonkar was arrested on Sunday evening after the agency recovered a leaked question paper of the examination held on May 3 from his personal mobile phone during searches at his premises, the officials said. The officials said Motegaonkar was allegedly an "active member of the organised gang" involved in the leakage and circulation of the NEET-UG paper.

As part of a conspiracy with other accused persons, Motegaonkar received the question paper and answers on April 23, nearly 10 days ahead of the high stakes examination was held across the country and abroad, the agency said in its grounds for arrest. The CBI will send the seized mobile phone for forensic analysis to recover deleted data, if any, they said.

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NEET-UG paper leak: Motegaonkar questioned

The agency has alleged that Motegaonkar provided copies of the leaked question papers and answer sheets to several people in the form of handwritten notes that were destroyed after the examination was held. The agency conducted searches at the coaching centre in the Shivnagar locality of Latur on Sunday afternoon.

Motegaonkar was questioned for nearly eight hours on Friday at his residence in the same area. The agency had earlier arrested a chemistry lecturer, PV Kulkarni, and a biology lecturer, Manisha Mandhare, both known to each other through a woman, Manisha Waghmare, who is also in CBI custody.

The two lecturers had allegedly roped in Waghmare to bring in NEET aspirants for special sessions before the examination. Students allegedly paid several lakh rupees to attend the sessions where they wrote the questions down in their notebooks, which later "tallied exactly" with the actual NEET-UG paper, the officials said.

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The federal agency has registered an FIR and formed teams to probe the alleged paper leak that resulted in the cancellation of the exam. The exam was conducted across 551 Indian cities and at 14 overseas centres. Nearly 23 lakh candidates had registered for the test, which was administered by the NTA across the country.

According to the NTA, information regarding alleged malpractice was received on the evening of May 7, four days after the exam was held. The NTA said the inputs were escalated to central agencies the following morning for "independent verification and necessary action".