As the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has intensified its probe into the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case in Maharashtra, Pune-based Dr Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy (APMA) came out in support of its faculty member, Tejas Shah, chief operating officer and physics faculty member at APMA, who was arrested on Wednesday. The academy claimed Shah’s interactions with accused Manisha Havaldar, who was arrested earlier in the case, were strictly personal and the institute had no role in it and the conversation between the duo was limited to clarifying doubts related to the NEET and Joint Entrance Examination–Main syllabus.Tejas Shah, chief operating officer and physics faculty member at APMA, was arrested in NEET paper leak case. (HT PHOTO)The development comes as investigators widened the probe into the alleged role of coaching institutes and private study circles in Pune and Latur, with the agency examining digital evidence, handwritten notes, financial transactions and alleged special coaching batches conducted before the examination.Investigators suspect that Shah had access to leaked physics questions allegedly shared by Havaldar, who is believed to have links with the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) examination process.However, APMA chairperson Prof Sachin Haldavnekar denied the allegations. “Shah had doubts related to certain chapters, like radioactivity, from which questions were asked in the JEE Main examination. He approached Havaldar to clarify whether these topics were part of the NEET syllabus, since both examinations are conducted by NTA and some topics are not clearly defined,” Haldavnekar said.He claimed that Shah had sought only expert guidance and was unaware of Havaldar’s alleged association with the NTA. “She was a senior physics teacher with expertise in the subject, so he approached her. The discussions were related to syllabus topics and not examination questions,” he said.According to Haldavnekar, Havaldar had provided certain written clarifications to Shah, and those chats later came under the scanner of the investigating agency.“Not a single question from the topics discussed with Havaldar appeared in the final NEET examination. Even if two or three questions matched coincidentally, that cannot be termed a paper leak,” he said.Haldavnekar also questioned the alleged consultancy payment made to Havaldar. “She charged ₹20,000 as consultancy fees. How can anybody leak the NEET paper for just ₹20,000?” he said, adding that the institute was verifying whether the payment was made personally by Shah or through the academy.He further claimed there was no similarity between APMA’s mock tests and the final NEET question paper. “There is no question of any leak through our institute,” he said.Two days ago, a CBI team visited the APMA institute in Pune’s Shivajinagar area, interacted with students and coaching staff, and collected mock question papers prepared by the institute from December 2025 till the NEET examination. Investigators also seized digital data from Shah’s office cabin, including laptops and computers.According to investigators, Shah allegedly remained in contact with Havaldar through calls and messages to clarify doubts related to physics questions and answer patterns. The agency is probing whether Shah prepared handwritten notes based on questions allegedly dictated or shared by Havaldar and whether these notes were circulated among selected students associated with coaching institutes in Pune before the examination.Meanwhile, the probe has also reached Latur, where the CBI arrested senior paediatrician and neonatologist Dr Manoj Shirure. Investigators suspect that Shirure allegedly provided his hospital and residential premises for conducting special coaching sessions linked to the suspected leaked NEET paper.Shirure runs Siddhivinayak Hospital on Ausa Road in Latur, a specialised paediatric and neonatal care centre. He holds MBBS, DCH and DNB qualifications in paediatrics and has over two decades of experience in child healthcare.The doctor had earlier been detained and questioned by the CBI on May 20 and May 23 after investigators allegedly found links between him and other accused persons, including Renukai Career Centre (RCC) coaching institute founder Shivraj Motegaonkar and retired professor PV Kulkarni, who has been arrested earlier in the case.According to sources, investigators suspect that leaked NEET papers were allegedly used to train selected students before the examination through special batches conducted at private premises. Officials are examining digital evidence, financial transactions and the use of residential properties linked to the accused.Sources said the agency suspects that the leaked paper was allegedly procured for a relative’s child of Dr Shirure, who appeared for the medical entrance examination this year.Earlier, Shirure was questioned by the investigating agency on May 20-21 and allowed to go on May 22. He had recorded his statement in the case.“I was a student of Kulkarni. He is also my patient, and his grandchildren were treated at my hospital,” Shirure had earlier said while explaining his association with the accused professor.