As the CBI probe into the NEET-UG paper leak deepens, investigators have found that the phone number of an accused coaching institute lecturer was saved as “God” in the mobile phone of school headmistress and Physics expert Manisha Havaldar, a key accused in the case who was also associated with the National Testing Agency (NTA).
The details emerged after the CBI on Wednesday arrested Dr Manoj Shirure, a paediatrician from Maharashtra’s Latur and Tejas Shah, a lecturer at a Pune-based coaching institute, and uncovered their links with Havaldar. Havaldar has already been arrested and remains in the custody of the central agency.
According to the CBI, Shirure allegedly received the leaked “guess paper”, containing questions that are said to have appeared in the NEET 2026 examination, from another accused, Professor Shivraj Motegaonkar, director of RCC Coaching Institute.
Shirure then arranged special coaching sessions for select aspirants, including Motegaonkar’s son and his own nephew and niece, after paying another accused, PV Kulkarni, amounts ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
Investigators alleged that Motegaonkar had received the guess paper from Tejas Shah, who worked as a lecturer at Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy in Pune.
Shah had obtained the questions from Manisha Havaldar, who was associated with the NTA and also served as the headmistress of a Pune school, the CBI further learnt.
Havaldar was assisting the NTA with Physics questions and allegedly dictated the questions to Shah, who noted them down in a notebook.
Shah later allegedly shared photographs of the notebook pages containing the questions with Havaldar and transferred money to a mobile number linked to Havaldar’s husband. Investigators found an online transaction of Rs 20,000, though officials suspect there may have been additional cash transactions between the two.
The CBI also conducted searches at two locations in Nanded earlier this week. Officials suspect the premises belonged to parents who allegedly purchased the leaked guess papers through a network involving Havaldar, PV Kulkarni, Manisha Mandhare, Manisha Waghmare, Shivraj Motegaonkar, Manoj Shirure and others.
Shirure and Shah have been remanded to CBI custody till June 1.
Sources said several aspirants, including Motegaonkar’s son and Shirure’s nephew and niece, who allegedly attended special sessions conducted by PV Kulkarni where leaked questions were dictated and explained, may be made witnesses in the case.
More arrests are likely as the CBI has conducted searches at over 50 locations in the past few days as part of the ongoing probe.
The NEET pre-medical entrance examination was conducted on May 3 across 551 Indian cities and at 14 overseas centres. Nearly 23 lakh candidates had registered for the test, which was administered by the NTA. After the allegations of a paper leak emerged, NTA cancelled it and a re-examination has been scheduled for June 21.
– Ends
Published On:
May 29, 2026 16:10 IST
