CBI: Latur coaching owner paid Rs 5 lakh for leaked NEET questions

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has alleged that a coaching institute owner from Maharashtra's Latur paid ₹5 lakh to obtain leaked chemistry questions before the NEET-UG 2026 examination. According to the agency, the money was allegedly paid to an NTA-appointed paper setter as part of a larger paper leak conspiracy currently under investigation.

The CBI informed a special court that it recovered the accused's mobile phone, which contained 36 images with 132 handwritten chemistry questions. Investigators claim that 111 of these questions matched the National Testing Agency's (NTA) master question sets used in the examination, suggesting that confidential exam content had been accessed before the test.

The accused, Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, who runs a coaching institute in Latur, has already been arrested in the case. The CBI said its investigation is ongoing to identify the full network of middlemen, paper setters and beneficiaries allegedly involved in the leak.

Authorities have conducted searches across multiple locations and seized electronic devices and documents as part of the probe. The agency is continuing to trace the flow of leaked question papers and examine the role of others linked to the alleged racket.