Vyapam scam: CBI seeks info on impersonators from 7 states

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is writing to medical colleges and private coaching centres in seven states, including Madhya Pradesh, seeking database of past and present students for its probe into the Vyapam scam.

Tracking the 250-plus absconding accused and suspects holds key to prosecution and conviction in 154 Vyapam-related cases.

It has already placed a reward of Rs 10,000 each on 155 absconding impersonators, solvers and scorers. These suspects had appeared in Madhya Pradesh Pre Medical Test (MP PMT) between 2008 and 2013 and other competitive and recruitment exams.

The CBI is seeking information of students particularly from medical colleges and private coaching institutes in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Odisha and Delhi. In most cases, it only has pictures of these scorers, solvers and impersonators generated from MP PMT records spanning from 2008 to 2013.

CBI sleuths hope to get information in a month, after which the details will be cross-matched with pictures of Vyapam accused and suspects on the run.

The CBI has uploaded a wanted list of 155 absconding accused and suspects on its official website. The list includes three women, who had appeared in the 2008, 2009 and 2011 MP PMT.

The first list will be followed with another having 100-plus absconding accused and suspects, CBI sources said, adding that the central agency has additional information about merely 28 suspects.

Vyapam accused withdraws petition

Vyapam accused Pankaj Trivedi in Jabalpur on Tuesday withdrew his petition filed in the Madhya Pradesh high court after getting bail in cases in connection with the cash-for-jobs scam.

Trivedi is the ex-controller of examinations of the MP professional examination board.

The petitioner’s counsel Ajay Gupta said there was no need to pursue the petition further as Trivedi got bail.

The petition was filed in August 2015 urging the court to grant bail as the Central Burueau of Investigation did not file any charge sheet or finish investigation within 90 days as per norms, the counsel said.

Trivedi is suspected to be one of the masterminds of the scam.

The court granted bail to Trivedi in cases including pre-postgrauate medical test 2012, pre medical test (PMT) 2012 and recruitment tests of the police sub inspector, transport constable in the transport department, the posts of food controller, the data entry operator, various posts of MP State Cooperative Dairy.

The Vyapam scam involved multiple rackets that helped candidates rig the examinations for money, including employing imposters to write test papers, manipulating sitting arrangements as well as supplying forged answer sheets.