CBI Arrests Doctor and Coaching Teacher in NEET Scam Probe

The ongoing NEET scam probe reached a critical turning point on Wednesday as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) formally arrested two high-profile professionals from Maharashtra. The newly apprehended individuals—a paediatrician based in Latur and a physics faculty member from a prominent Pune coaching academy—are accused of acting as primary distribution nodes in the nationwide examination racket. With these latest operations, the total number of individuals arrested by the central agency has risen to 13, exposing a deep-rooted institutional compromise that led to the cancellation of the May 3 medical entrance exam.

Inside the Multi-City Syndicate

According to official statements from the CBI spokesperson, the suspects have been identified as Dr. Manoj Shirure and Tejas Harshadkumar Shah. Shah serves as a physics faculty member and chief operating officer at the Dr. Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy (APMA) in Shivajinagar, Pune.

The investigative breakthrough came after digital forensics mapped out an unvarnished WhatsApp communication trail. Investigators discovered that Shah’s phone number was saved under the alias "God" in the mobile device of co-accused Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, a suspended Pune school headmistress arrested on May 22.

The Physics Leak Pipeline: The CBI alleges that Havaldar dictated confidential physics questions directly to Shah. Shah then transcribed the questions onto a sheet of paper, photographed the document, and forwarded the image back to Havaldar’s husband for onward distribution to elite student rings.

Simultaneously, the agency intercepted the chemistry pipeline operating out of Latur. Dr. Manoj Shirure allegedly collaborated with a retired chemistry lecturer, P.V. Kulkarni, who had direct translation associations with the National Testing Agency (NTA). Shirure used this access to secure leaked chemistry question sheets, which he distributed to select candidates, including the son of a major local coaching center owner.

Special Sessions for Influential Families

The central agency's remand report presented before Special Judge Vidya Prakash in a Delhi court highlighted an organized money trail. The network operated secret, high-security tutorial sessions for children of influential families who reportedly paid anywhere between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 10 lakh each to access the question banks.

These elite test camps were conducted roughly 10 days before the national pan-and-paper exam took place. To minimize footprints, the question papers and handwritten answer keys were systematically destroyed immediately after the sessions concluded. However, the CBI has successfully traced substantial online bank transfers originating from the bank accounts of beneficiaries' parents directly into accounts controlled by the syndicate.

Legal Remand and Institutional Backlash

Following a competitive hearing, the Delhi court granted the CBI five days of custodial interrogation for both Shirure and Shah, keeping them in central custody until June 1, 2026. Concurrently, co-accused individuals P.V. Kulkarni and Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar were moved into a 14-day judicial custody block ending June 10.

As the NEET scam probe broadens, educational centers across Maharashtra are facing severe administrative consequences. The Pune Municipal Corporation has already sealed the physical premises of associated coaching centers in Latur. While institutional directors claim these employees acted solely in their individual capacities, the CBI has launched simultaneous raids across 49 locations nationwide, seizing laptops, hard drives, and mobile devices to reconstruct the full scope of the multi-state conspiracy before the scheduled re-examination on June 21, 2026.

This NEET Paper Leak News Report outlines the initial phases of this investigation, highlighting how top faculty members with ties to the National Testing Agency first fell under the scanner of central investigators.