After a series of mysterious deaths, the investigation into the multi-crore Vyavsayik Pareeksha Mandal (Vyapam) Scam seems to be heading nowhere as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has failed to trace 170 accused, most of them candidates, who appeared in the rigged entrance examinations and who are wanted in over 25 cases related to the scam.
The probe agency is grappling with a peculiar problem as the photographs of 80 other accused do not match with the names and persons in the FIRs as nothing is known about them beyond their pictures. It has further strengthened
the theory that fake candidates too had appeared in the examinations.
According to CBI officials, the agency has the photographs of all the 80 accused, but they don’t have their names and addresses. “In majority of the cases, absconding accused are candidates who had appeared for the exam,” said officials. Citing example of a particular case, (RC 104/15), CBI officials said whereabouts of all the 12 accused in this case is not known.
All of them had appeared for the Pre-Medical Test-2009 conducted by Vyapam a Government-run hiring body responsible for conducting entrance tests for educational institutions in Madhya Pradesh.
“The probe into another case (RC 05/15) has hit a dead end as all the six ‘wanted’ accused are missing,” said the official. The CBI launched a manhunt for them with only photographs as reference but drew a blank. All these six people are wanted for their alleged role in the irregularities committed in PMT-2010 examination. Probe in the two cases — RC 27/15 and RC 78/15 — met similar fate.
The ordeal for the CBI officials does not end here. In certain cases, investigators have failed to ascertain the identity of the accused even after finding their names along with photographs. “In RC 32/15, agency is looking for the accused Satyaveer (name appeared on his photograph) in connection with irregularities committed in the Police Constable Recruitment exam — 2012 conducted by Vyapam. It appears that the name of the accused is not the same as written on the photograph”, said officials.
In the case RC 97/15, the agency wants to arrest three accused allegedly involved in bungling ‘Van Rakshak recruitment exam-2013’. The names — Sunil, Nihal Singh and Akash — mentioned on their admission slip seemed to be wrong.
In the case of RC 14/2015, the names of all three candidates appearing on their photographs are Chandra Bhan, Sanjay and Anand. But these names are not genuine. All three candidates had appeared for PMT-2009 exam.
In RC 40/2015, 51/2015, 88/2015 and 123/2015, the CBI officials are clueless about the identity of four accused.
CBI officials said that agency is using ‘advanced forensic software’ to find out photographs of the accused if they are morphed. This technology is currently being used by the FBI to find out the morphed photographs.
The agency has so far filed more than 60 chargesheets against 150 accused in the scam. CBI investigations point to widespread collusion among candidates, Government officials, State level politicians and middlemen in the scam. Undeserving candidates bribed the Vyapam officials through middlemen make dummies appear for the examination. The Supreme Court on July 9, 2015 had transferred the probe of all cases related to Vyapam scam to the CBI.
Prashant Pandey, one of the whistle-blower in the Vyapam scam told The Pioneer that the investigating agency is not honest in the probe. “There are call details of accused persons. Why the investigating agency has not probed these details to nail accused persons,” Pandey said.
The Vyapam scam dates back to 2004. More than 2,000 people have been arrested. The scam also dragged the name of former State Governor Ram Naresh Yadav. It has been alleged by the Congress as well as several social activists that the officials took money to compromise the examination and recruitment.