Vyapam scam: CBI for forensic test of evidence

The CBI, probing the multi-crore Vyapam scam, is likely to send some evidence recovered by the agency sleuths for fresh forensic examination.

CBI sleuths suspect that some scientific evidence might not have been properly examined by the state government investors when they were investigating the scam. Sources said, “The agency sleuths may send a harddisk, recovered from the computer of a former official of the Madhya Pradesh Professional Exami-nation Board, for forensic examination.

Earlier, this harddisk had been recovered by the crime branch officials of the state police.” There are allegations that the harddisk was tampered with earlier, they added.

The agency is also preparing to file 15 fresh FIRs against former officials of the MPPEB as part of its investigations into the Vyapam scam.

The agency, which has so far registered more than 114 FIRs in connection with Vyapam scam, is also probing the role of senior officials of the MPPEB who allegedly helped students by manipulating their answer sheets. “Investigations by the agency have revealed that in certain cases the candidates in question were reportedly asked to leave their answer sheets blank and were given high marks in the exam by some suspected MPPEB officials”, sources said.

“The agency sleuths also found that in some cases students were supplied with solved answer sheets before they took the exam by the suspected officials”, sources said. The Supreme Court on in July, 2015 had transferred the probe of all cases related to Vyapam scam to the CBI. Vyapam is a government body responsible for conducting several entrance tests in Madhya Pradesh. It recruits for government jobs and admissions to educational institutes. Vyapam scam is allegedly a well orchestrated rigging of entrance exams to help undeserving candidates, who allegedly bribed politicians and officials through middlemen, to get high ranks in these entrance tests. The Vyapam scam dates back to 2004. More than 2000 people have so far been arrested in connection with the scam. So far 44 people related to the Vyapam scam have turned up dead.