NEET paper leak probe: Latur teacher Shivraj Motegaonkar comes under CBI scanner over viral ‘mock test’ video
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "NEET paper leak probe: Latur teacher Shivraj Motegaonkar comes under CBI scanner over viral ‘mock test’ video")
Maharashtra coaching tycoon Shivraj Motegaonkar Photograph: (X)
The CBI is investigating Maharashtra coaching tycoon Shivraj Motegaonkar over the NEET-UG paper leak. A viral mock test video sparked suspicions that he had distributed the question paper before the exam.
The Central Bureau of Investigation’s expanding probe into the NEET-UG paper leak case has placed a prominent coaching entrepreneur from Maharashtra’s Latur under scrutiny, with investigators suspecting that the examination paper may have been leaked through his mobile phone. At the centre of the investigation is Shivraj Motegaonkar, widely known among students as “M Sir”, founder of Renukai Career Centre (RCC), one of Maharashtra’s largest NEET and JEE coaching networks.
CBI investigators reportedly suspect Motegaonkar may have gained access to the NEET-UG question paper nearly 10 days before the examination and allegedly circulated copies to several individuals, including an accused identified as Vivek Patil. The probe intensified after a purported RCC “mock test” video surfaced online and went viral, triggering fresh questions over whether students may have been exposed to questions resembling those in the actual examination.
The CBI is currently carrying out forensic analysis of electronic devices seized during searches linked to RCC premises. These include mobile phones, laptops, iPads and digital storage systems. Investigators are attempting to determine how the paper may have been accessed and distributed.
Motegaonkar, who built RCC into a major coaching brand across Maharashtra, is known as a successful chemistry teacher and education entrepreneur. The coaching network reportedly caters to around 40,000 students annually through centres operating across multiple districts in the state.
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Investigators are now examining whether individuals linked to the coaching ecosystem may have had access to confidential examination material through alleged connections with insiders involved in the National Testing Agency’s paper-setting process. CBI teams have already questioned Motegaonkar several times in Latur and Pune, with some interrogation sessions reportedly lasting for hours.
The investigation has also drawn attention to Professor PV Kulkarni, a retired chemistry faculty member from Latur who has already been arrested in the case. According to investigators, Kulkarni was allegedly associated with the NTA’s paper-setting process and is accused of misusing that position to leak Chemistry-related questions.
