Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 18: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday arrested Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, a chemistry teacher and owner of very popular Renukai Chemistry Classes, widely known as RCC or “Doctors’ Factory” in Latur in Maharashtra, in connection with the National Eligibility and Entrance Test, Under Graduate (NEET-UG) paper leak.
Motegaonkar, known as “M Sir” in Maharashtra’s coaching circles, is a prominent name in the state’s NEET and JEE preparation industry. A chemistry teacher from Latur, Motegaonkar built RCC Classes into one of Maharashtra’s largest coaching brands. Recently, his name has surfaced in the ongoing NEET paper leak investigation, and the CBI has been questioning him for several days.
The accused runs the institute that coaches students for the NEET-UG medical examination. It has nine branches with its main office in Latur. He is said to be close to chemistry lecturer P.V. Kulkarni, who is associated with the National Testing Agency (NTA) and was earlier arrested by the CBI for his alleged role in leaking chemistry questions that appeared in the examination on May 3.
Searches conducted on the premises of the Institute and Motegaonkar’s residence resulted in the recovery of a chemistry question bank, which contained the same questions identical to those that appeared in the examination, the agency said. “In the last 24 hours, the CBI has also conducted searches at five locations at various places and seized several incriminating documents, laptops, and mobile phones. Detailed analysis of the seized items is going on,” it said.
Motegaonkar holds a gold medal in MSc (Chemistry) and founded RCC in Latur in 2003, say his websites. For two decades, students across Maharashtra have known the name RCC or simply ‘Motegaonkar Sir’s classes’, as a ticket to a medical career. Reviews online have called it “India’s brand and Maharashtra’s No.1 NEET class” and a “Doctor’s Factory”.
On Monday, the Central Bureau of Investigation said it arrested SR Motegaonkar, director of RCC, from his residence at Omkar Residency in the Shivnagar area of Latur, making him the 10th person arrested in the paper leak case.
The CBI officials said Motegaonkar was “a member of an organised syndicate involved in the paper leak.” Investigators claim to have found the NEET question paper on his phone. He allegedly received it on April 23, a full 10 days before the examination was held on May 3. According to the officials, Motegaonkar distributed the questions and answers to several individuals. His phone has been sent for forensic examination, and his connections to previously arrested persons are being actively probed.
Motegaonkar’s rise is notable not just for his current success but also for the journey that brought him here. He comes from a farming family in Latur and began teaching by giving private tuitions, often cycling across the city to reach students. In the late 1990s, he started coaching in a rented room with about ten students.
In the early years, he was closely involved in every aspect of the institute teaching chemistry personally, preparing handwritten notes and handling small batches of students for Classes 11 and 12, as well as entrance exam aspirants. Over the next two decades, his coaching grew along with the “Latur Pattern,” which became famous in Maharashtra for producing toppers in competitive exams.
What began as a single coaching centre grew into a multi-city operation spanning eight locations across Maharashtra, with Pune having three branches, apart from those in Nashik, Aurangabad, Nanded, Solapur, Kolhapur, and Akola, in addition to the main Latur campus. The institute offers NEET, JEE, and MHT-CET coaching for Classes 11 and 12, repeater batches, and a foundation programme from Class 6 onwards.
RCC’s website claims to have produced over 15,000 doctors in 19 years, with an app-based platform trusted by 80,000 students and a library of 3,500 practice tests. Fees at branches like Pune range from ₹1.2 lakh to ₹2.4 lakh per year, with scholarships available through RCC’s own entrance exam.
Beyond coaching, Motegaonkar was simultaneously building a broader educational empire, running two schools and planning a third CBSE institution under his name, with his websites describing him as a “visionary educator” committed to taking education to “the last child in the village.”
With more than 66,000 followers on Instagram and a presence across YouTube, WhatsApp, and its own app on the Play Store, RCC Classes is known for its chemistry notes, test series, and teaching approach, drawing NEET, JEE, and CET aspirants from across Maharashtra. Former students describe Motegaonkar as a visionary educator who made chemistry easier, especially for students from rural and semi-urban backgrounds. Initially, RCC focused on concept-based learning and affordable fees. As it expanded, the institute introduced digital learning, state-wide test series, mentorship programs, and app-based study materials.
On Google Reviews, where RCC Latur carries a 4.1-star rating from over 1,600 reviews accumulated over several years, there was a sign of a shift in public sentiment. One review, written before the allegations surfaced, described it as “India’s brand… Maharashtra’s No.1 NEET class — a Doctor’s Factory,” praising the teaching, faculty, study environment, and Motegaonkar’s personal instruction.
Another, posted after the news broke, reads simply, “Leaked NEET chemistry paper word by word and call themselves best coaching. Shame on the owner and teachers. Destroying the future.”
The CBI registered the case on May 12 following a written complaint from the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education. Subsequently, special teams were formed to pursue the leads. Among those arrested earlier is senior botany teacher Manisha Gurunath Mandhare from Maharashtra’s Pune who allegedly leaked biology questions.
“She had complete access to the botany and zoology question papers. During April 2026, she had mobilised prospective NEET examination candidates through Manisha Waghmare of Pune (already arrested on May 14) and conducted special coaching classes for these students at her Pune residence,” the agency previously said.
According to the CBI, during those classes she explained and disclosed various questions from botany and zoology subjects and made the students note down the same in their notebooks and also mark it in their textbooks. A majority of these questions tallied with the actual question paper.
Ms Waghmare, a beauty salon owner, had also allegedly helped Mr Kulkarni in mobilising students. The others arrested in the case are Dhananjay Lokhande from Ahilyanagar and Shubham Khairnar from Nashik in Maharashtra; Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal, and Dinesh Biwal from Jaipur, Rajasthan; and Yash Yadav from Gurugram, Haryana.
“Investigation is continuing with the special teams and the investigation conducted so far has brought out the actual source of the leakage of chemistry and biology papers which were circulated before the examination,” said the CBI, adding that the “middlemen” who helped in getting prospective candidates to attend the special coaching classes where the papers were discussed have also been arrested.
