CBI shifts focus to families that allegedly bought leaked NEET papers

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing the NEET 2026 paper leak racket, has expanded its investigation to identify families that allegedly paid hefty sums to procure question papers for their children, with multiple households across Marathwada now under scrutiny, sources said.The development comes a day after the arrest of Latur-headquartered Renukai Chemistry Classes (RCC) director Shivraj Motegaonkar, following which his centres in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nanded and Latur were found shut on Monday.Officials said families from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nanded, Latur and adjoining districts have come under the agency’s radar after clues suggested that the leaked paper was purchased by some well-off families. Investigators are now working to establish the money trail and identify all beneficiaries of the alleged leak network.In one such case, a CBI team questioned members of a Nanded-based family on Saturday over allegations that a large sum was paid to secure the NEET paper for a student. A member of the family has been issued a notice to appear before the Pune-based CBI office on Tuesday. The agency is also examining the role of intermediaries, links with coaching institutes and travel patterns of students who allegedly accessed leaked material ahead of the exam.The probe has focused on suspicious performance patterns, with investigators analysing unusual spikes in mock test scores and movement histories of candidates. In the Nanded case, officials are probing claims that a student who earlier scored between 100 and 120 marks began securing significantly higher scores after travelling to Pune around two weeks before the examination.The investigation has also turned the spotlight on aggressive publicity campaigns by private coaching centres across Marathwada. CBI teams are reviewing advertisements and banners that showcased “successful” NEET candidates and even mentioned exact subject-wise scores before the official results were declared.One such advertisement from a coaching institute in Nanded was widely circulated on social media for displaying student photographs alongside claims of exceptionally high scores, including full marks in chemistry, before the announcement of results.The developments have raised questions within academic circles about how coaching centres could allegedly predict precise scores in advance. Sources said the CBI is verifying whether any students featured in such advertisements had links to individuals already under investigation.Investigators are also expected to examine whether coaching institutes had prior knowledge of results or if the promotions were linked to candidates allegedly connected to the leak network.While the CBI has maintained official silence on specific suspects, sources indicated the agency is increasingly focusing not only on alleged masterminds and middlemen, but also on beneficiaries who may have knowingly paid for leaked examination papers.