Maharashtra Minister and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat on Tuesday demanded the demolition of buildings owned by individuals implicated in the ongoing NEET-UG 2026 paper leak scandal. The statement comes as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) intensifies its multi-state crackdown, uncovering a sprawling network of NTA-appointed experts, coaching center owners, and middlemen.
The CBI has already arrested Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, operator of the Renukai Chemistry Classes (RCC) in Latur, for his alleged involvement in the paper leak. The investigation, which began following a complaint from the Union Ministry of Education on May 12, has now seen nine arrests across Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune, and Ahilyanagar.
At the center of the conspiracy are subject experts appointed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) who allegedly abused their insider access.
A Delhi court remanded prime suspect P.V. Kulkarni and co-accused Manisha Waghmare to 10 days of CBI custody. Special CBI Judge Ajay Gupta granted the remand after Special Public Prosecutor Neetu Gupta argued that the duo needed to be taken outside the national capital to unearth a larger conspiracy. The CBI revealed that Kulkarni, a Chemistry lecturer involved in the NTA’s examination process, allegedly leaked question material to Waghmare via an intermediary, Dhananjay Lokhande.
In a parallel development, the Delhi Rouse Avenue Court sent another key conspirator, Pune-based senior Botany teacher Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, to 14 days of CBI custody. Mandhare, also appointed as an expert by the NTA, reportedly had full access to both the Botany and Zoology papers.
According to the CBI, Mandhare used her insider access to mobilize prospective NEET candidates through Waghmare in April 2026.
“Special coaching classes were conducted at Mandhare’s residence in Pune, where actual Botany and Zoology questions were disclosed, discussed, and dictated to students,” a CBI official stated. He claimed, the CBI is commiteds to a comprehensive, impartial, and professional probe as special teams continue to track the financial trail and identify more middlemen involved in the racket.
Candidates were strictly instructed to note the leaked questions in personal notebooks and mark them in their textbooks. A subsequent analysis confirmed that a majority of these dictated questions directly matched the official NEET-UG paper administered on May 3, 2026.
The investigation has now extended its footprint from Latur to Nanded. The CBI has uncovered evidence of a parent who allegedly purchased the leaked question paper for Rs. 5 lakh to secure his daughter’s admission. A special team questioned the individual and has summoned him to the CBI’s Pune office for further interrogation.
Over the last 24 hours, federal investigators executed synchronized raids across six locations nationwide, seizing incriminating documents, laptops, mobile phones, and bank statements.
