New Delhi, June 29: A Delhi court on Monday extended till July 11 the judicial custody of 10 accused in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The accused were produced before the Rouse Avenue Court through video conferencing on the expiry of their earlier judicial custody.

The court extended the judicial custody of Yash Yadav, Mangilal Biwal, Dinesh Biwal, Vikas Biwal, Dhananjay Lokhande, Tejas Harshad Shah, Shubham Khairnar, Manisha Waghmare, Manisha Sanjay Havaldar and Dr Manoj Shirure till July 11.

Earlier, on June 15, the Rouse Avenue Court had extended the judicial custody of the 10 accused till June 29. The court had also permitted the CBI to interrogate accused Shubham Khairnar, Manisha Waghmare and Dhananjay Lokhande inside jail on June 17, 18 and 19, respectively, for one hour each as part of the ongoing investigation.

The CBI has so far arrested 13 accused in the case and is investigating an alleged network involved in procuring and circulating NEET-UG question papers ahead of the examination.

According to the probe agency, Latur-based doctor Manoj Shirure played a key role in facilitating three students, including the son of an accused coaching centre owner, in obtaining Chemistry questions from alleged kingpin P.V. Kulkarni before the examination.

Tejas Harshad Shah, a Physics faculty member at Pune-based Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy (APMA), is alleged to have received leaked Physics questions from co-accused Manisha Sanjay Havaldar.

The CBI has further alleged that Pune-based education consultant Manisha Waghmare acted as an intermediary in mobilising students who allegedly paid lakhs of rupees to attend special coaching sessions where questions that later appeared in the NEET-UG 2026 examination were dictated and discussed.

According to the probe agency, Waghmare facilitated prospective candidates for special coaching classes conducted by NTA-appointed senior Botany teacher Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, who is suspected to be the co-mastermind behind the Biology paper leak, while Chemistry professor P.V. Kulkarni has been identified as the alleged kingpin of the paper leak network.

The CBI registered the case on May 12 based on a written complaint received from the Department of Higher Education under the Union Ministry of Education.

Following registration of the FIR, special teams were constituted and searches were carried out at multiple locations across the country. Meanwhile, the National Testing Agency (NTA) successfully conducted the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination on June 21 after the original examination was cancelled amid concerns over alleged irregularities.

More than 20 lakh medical aspirants appeared for the re-examination at 5,440 centres across India and 14 centres abroad.

Nearly 7 lakh personnel, including examination staff, police personnel, observers and administrative officials, were deployed to ensure the smooth conduct of the examination.

More than 95,000 examination rooms were monitored through over 1.38 lakh CCTV cameras, while over 51,000 signal jammers were installed to prevent electronic malpractice.

The re-examination was conducted under extensive security measures, including Aadhaar-based biometric verification, facial authentication, two-layer frisking, real-time surveillance and command-and-control centre monitoring, aimed at ensuring transparency and preserving the integrity of one of the country’s largest entrance examinations.

Pune, June 29: A sessions court in Maharashtra pronounced a death sentence on Monday for 65-year-old Bhimrao Kamble, who was convicted last week for the rape and murder of a three-year-old girl in Pune’s Nasrapur last month.

Pune District and Sessions Court Judge S.R. Salunkhe awarded capital punishment to the convict.

The prosecution had cited 12 key Supreme Court judgments regarding such cases in its arguments, including that this case falls within the category of “rarest of rare” cases defined by the Supreme Court.

Considering the nature of the crime and the brutality involved, the judge, while convicting Kamble, had remarked that the accused does not deserve any leniency or a lighter sentence.

The judge also stated that the injuries found on the victim’s body were sufficient to prove the brutality of the act.

Taking into account a previous sexual assault case against Kamble, the court noted that he is aware of the law and showed no remorse for his actions throughout the trial.

The verdict was delivered within two months of the incident, which occurred on May 1.

The police had filed the charge sheet within 15 days of the incident. Charges were framed on May 28, and final arguments concluded on June 21.

In a chilling reminder of the growing insecurity being faced by the most vulnerable members of our society, the Bhor Taluka region of Pune was rocked by a crime of unimaginable cruelty on May 1. The 65-year-old sexually assaulted and brutally murdered a three-year-old girl, reportedly ending her life by crushing her with a stone.

The incident came to light when the girl went missing in the afternoon, and her family started a frantic search. During the search, her mutilated and bloodied body was discovered.

CCTV footage from the area showed Kamble taking the toddler along, which helped police identify and detain him.

Pune, June 29: Fresh revelations have surfaced in the investigation into the murder of 26-year-old Pune-based realtor Ketan Agarwal, with police sources alleging that his fiancée, Siya Goyal, took nearly Rs 1 crore from him in the name of wedding preparations before transferring the money to her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary.

According to investigators, Goyal, 20, and Chaudhary, 22, had meticulously planned the murder well in advance and allegedly charted out a long-term strategy to avoid suspicion after the crime. The two were arrested for allegedly conspiring to kill Agarwal by pushing him off a cliff at Lohagad Fort on June 18.

According to NDTV, police sources claim that Goyal had sought around Rs 1 crore from Agarwal, claiming it was required for wedding shopping and other marriage-related expenses. Instead of using the money for the wedding, she allegedly handed the entire amount to Chaudhary to help him establish his career and improve his financial condition.

Investigators believe the transfer of funds formed a crucial part of the alleged conspiracy. Since Chaudhary came from a financially modest background, he had reportedly told Goyal that he would need around three years to become financially secure.

The two allegedly agreed that after Agarwal’s death, Goyal would remain unmarried for that period to avoid attracting suspicion. Once Chaudhary was financially stable and public attention surrounding the case had subsided, they allegedly planned to marry.

Police suspect the delayed marriage was intended to make the relationship appear unrelated to the crime and eventually gain acceptance from Goyal’s family.

The investigation has also uncovered details about how the alleged murder was executed. Officials said Goyal and Chaudhary had agreed on a pre-decided signal before carrying out the attack.

According to investigators, Goyal was instructed to sit down, either on the pretext of drinking water or tying her shoelaces. This action would indicate to Chaudhary that the opportunity had arrived to push Agarwal off the cliff.

Police believe the signal served a dual purpose. Besides alerting Chaudhary, it also ensured that Goyal was positioned at a safe distance from Agarwal, reducing the possibility that he could grab her while falling.

Call Detail Records (CDRs) have further strengthened the investigators’ case. Sources said Goyal allegedly spoke to Chaudhary approximately 34 minutes before the incident. Police suspect the conversation was the final confirmation before the alleged murder was carried out.

Investigators have also claimed that the conspiracy had been finalised by the end of May and that an earlier attempt to kill Agarwal was allegedly made on June 14.

During that incident, Agarwal reportedly managed to save himself by holding onto nearby bushes after being pushed. Sources alleged that Goyal later claimed the incident was accidental, saying she had pushed him after being startled by a snake.

Following the failed attempt, investigators believe Chaudhary altered the plan. On June 18, he allegedly followed the couple to Lohagad Fort to ensure that Agarwal would not escape a second time.

Meanwhile, another aspect of the investigation has emerged from the statement of the driver who was hired to take the couple to Mumbai airport for a planned pre-wedding trip to Bali.

Driver Vaibhav Jadhav told investigators that Goyal appeared unwilling to travel and claimed that her brother, Sahil forced her into the vehicle after picking her up from Pune. During the drive to Ravet in Pimpri-Chinchwad, the driver alleged that Goyal and her brother had a heated argument.

According to the driver, the journey later continued to Mumbai airport after Agarwal and several of his family members joined them from the Kiwale Lodha area. The planned Bali trip, however, was cancelled after Agarwal reportedly discovered that his passport was missing upon reaching the airport.