- The CBI questioned Latur doctor Manoj Shirure for allegedly buying leaked NEET papers
- Shirure allegedly shared papers with five doctors and relatives
- The CBI seized Shirure's phone, documents, and digital evidence during prolonged interrogation
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has questioned a top doctor in Maharashtra's Latur for allegedly buying the leaked National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) question papers, as the premier investigation agency turns its attention towards the parents who coughed up huge sums to ensure backdoor entry for their children in medical colleges.
Manoj Shirure, a senior paediatrician, allegedly bought the leaked question papers for his son after paying Rs 12 lakh to the paper-leak racket. To recover the money, he forwarded these papers to at least five doctors in four hospitals. All these medical professionals are also under the agency's scanner.
Shirure forwarded these papers to his relatives as well, prompting the agency to question his wife and a relative, Dr Pramod.
The CBI detained Shirure, questioned him for several hours and seized his mobile phone, documents and other digital evidence.
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The doctor is ready to become a government witness, the sources said. The agency is planning to use him to reveal the modus operandi of the racket before the court.
Connection With Chemistry Professor, Coaching Founder
He was also in touch with a retired chemistry professor, PV Kulkarni, and the RCC Classes founder Shivraj Motegaonkar, the two most high-profile accused in the case. The trio colluded to form a network which dished out these papers to paying NEET aspirants, the sources said.
The CBI arrested Motegaonkar on Sunday after a leaked question paper of the examination held on May 3 was recovered from his mobile phone during searches at his premises.
He was allegedly an "active member of the organised gang" involved in the leakage and circulation of the NEET UG paper.
He received the question paper and answers on April 23, nearly 10 days before the NEET examination.
Also read: NEET Leak Not Through National Testing Agency System, Its Chief Tells MPs
"He is close to P V Kulkarni, chemistry lecturer, who is associated with the NTA (National Testing Agency). Searches conducted at his institute and residence resulted in the recovery of the chemistry question bank, which contained the same questions that appeared in the NEET exam held on May 3," the agency said in a statement.
Kulkarni, a native of Latur, used to run a coaching centre in Pune. He allegedly dictated the leaked question papers to a select group of students.
When the questions written in the students' notebooks were cross-referenced with the actual question paper of the exam held on May 3, many matched verbatim.
After the leak was detected, the National Testing Agency cancelled the NEET exam -- the gateway to medical courses, including MBBS -- and rescheduled it for June 21.