CBI arrests Pune-based lecturer for ‘leaking’ NEET-UG physics paper

The CBI on Friday, 22 May arrested a Pune-based lecturer in connection with the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, claiming she was a key “source” behind the leak of the physics question paper.

The accused, Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, is currently employed at Seth Hiralal Saraf Prashala in Pune. According to the agency, she was involved in the NEET-UG process after being appointed as an expert by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

“The CBI has identified another key accused who was the source for the leak of NEET-UG 2026 physics questions,” a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.

The agency alleged that Havaldar had full access to the physics paper and shared a set of questions in April with co-accused Manisha Mandhare, a Pune-based botany teacher who was arrested on 16 May.

According to the CBI, the questions allegedly circulated by Havaldar matched those that later appeared in the NEET-UG 2026 physics examination.

As part of the probe, the agency said it carried out searches at multiple locations across the country and seized documents, laptops, bank records and mobile phones. “A detailed analysis of the seized items is underway,” the CBI said.

The National Testing Agency cancelled NEET-UG, conducted on 3 May for undergraduate medical admissions, on 12 May following allegations of a paper leak. A fresh examination has been scheduled for 21 June.

The CBI registered an FIR in the case the same day based on a written complaint from the department of higher education under the Union education ministry.

The agency said 11 people have so far been arrested from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune, Latur and Ahilyanagar in connection with the case.

According to the CBI, the investigation has traced the alleged origin of the paper leak and identified middlemen accused of recruiting students who paid lakhs of rupees to attend special coaching sessions where leaked questions were allegedly distributed.

With PTI inputs