Nagpur, May 19: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has conducted searches at the houses of two students in Nagpur in connection with its probe into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, officials said on Tuesday.
The searches were conducted on Monday at their residences located in the Central Avenue and Itwari areas, during which the probe agency seized mobile phones, laptops, handwritten notes and other digital devices for forensic examination.
These students had appeared for the NEET examination this year and were repeaters preparing through private coaching institutes, the officials said.
The CBI suspects that they allegedly received leaked question papers through a network operating from Pune with sources claiming that the paper was arranged for nearly Rs 15 lakh per candidate.
Officials believe that the students came in contact with the racket through Manisha Waghmare, a Pune-based beautician arrested earlier in the case. She acted as an intermediary connecting students and parents with members of the paper leak syndicate.
The students later allegedly came in contact with chemistry lecturer P V Kulkarni, one of the main accused arrested in the case from Pune.
Investigators suspect that selected candidates were called to Pune before the examination where confidential questions and answers were allegedly shared during private sessions.
The CBI is now examining call records, financial transactions and digital evidence to trace the wider network and identify other beneficiaries linked to the alleged scam.
Officials said the students have not been arrested so far as the investigation is still underway.
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), conducted across 551 Indian cities and at 14 overseas centres on May 3, was cancelled after information regarding alleged malpractice was received on the evening of May 7. Nearly 23 lakh candidates had registered for the test.
A retest is scheduled for June 21.
On Sunday evening, the CBI arrested Shivraj Motegaonkar, who runs Renukai Chemistry Classes (RCC) in Maharashtra’s Latur, for his alleged involvement in the paper leak. The probe agency recovered a leaked question paper of the examination held on May 3 from his mobile phone during searches at his premises.
Earlier, it arrested chemistry lecturer Kulkarni, biology lecturer Manisha Mandhare, both known to each other through Manisha Waghmare, who is also in the CBI custody.
So far, 10 accused have been arrested in this case from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nasik, Pune, Latur and Ahilyanagar, as per officials. (PTI)
