The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested professor Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, founder of a Maharashtra’s Latur-based prominent medical and engineering entrance test coaching centre, in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak probe, with officials saying that he is part of the “organised syndicate” involved in the leak and had access to the chemistry questions on April 23 — 10 days before the examination was held on May 3.The Rouse Avenue Court grants nine days of custody of the accused Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar to the CBI in the alleged NEET-UG paper leak case, in New Delhi on Monday. (ANI Video Grab)A special court in Delhi on Monday sent Motegaonkar to CBI custody for nine days .Shivraj Motegaonkar was close to PV Kulkarni“Another key accused prof Shivaraj Motegaonkar, owner of RCC (Renukai Career Centre) Coaching Institute Latur, has been arrested in the NEET paper leak case. He is running this institute which coaches the students for NEET-UG examination. It has nine branches with the main branch at Latur. He is close to P Kulkarni, chemistry lecturer, who is associated with NTA,” a CBI spokesperson said.12 hours of CBI questioningMotegaonkar was taken into custody on Sunday evening after nearly 12 hours of questioning at CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch office in Pune. He runs the coaching institute in Latur and its eight branches across the state. RCC’s website claims that it has produced more than 15,000 doctors and thousands of engineers over the last two decades. He also runs ‘Motegaonkar Sir’s RCC’ YouTube channel.An official aware of the matter said the suspicion around the institute intensified after a parent informed the Latur police that multiple questions in the mock tests conducted by RCC were similar — and in some cases allegedly identical — to those asked in the actual examination. A viral video is being treated as an important piece of circumstantial evidence in the probe, the official said.The matter gained further traction after a video circulated on social media purportedly showed Motegaonkar interacting with students after the examination and asking them how many questions from the mock tests had appeared in the actual paper. Students in the video reportedly responded that several questions had matched.CBI, in a statement said, “Motegaonkar is close to PV Kulkarni, the chemistry lecturer associated with the National Testing Agency,” who was arrested last week and has been called one of the kingpins in the conspiracy.NEET cancelledThe case stems from the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 on May 12 — nine days after 2.27 million students appeared in the examination — after central agencies confirmed the question paper had been compromised.The agency said it conducted searches at his residence and institute, which “resulted in recovery of the chemistry question bank which contained exactly the same questions which appeared in the NEET exam held on May 3”. CBI also accused him of destroying evidence after the examination by disposing off the leaked question papers and handwritten notes.Officials familiar with the probe, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Motegaonkar “is an active member of the organised gang involved in leakage and circulation of NEET UG exam questions 2026, that, in conspiracy with the others, he had received the question papers and answers on April 23, 10 days before the exam (May 3)”.(With inputs from Shrinivas Deshpande and Arnabjit Sur)