CBI arrests one of the main accused of VYAPAM scam from Kanpur

Lucknow: The joint team of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and UP STF arrested Ramesh Shiv Hare alias Chandra, one of the main accused in the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) scam also known as VYAPAM case.

Seven cases were registered against Shiv Hare. He was arrested from 3 Avas Vikas Parishad in Kalyanpur police station of Kanpur district in Uttar Pradesh, superintendent of police STF Dr Arvind Chaturvedi said.

Dr Chaturvedi says:

• The STF was behind him from many days.
• He was arrested on a tip off.
• Shiv Hare was running a coaching and was accused of providing solver in the examination.
• The CBI is probing in the case to know about his syndicate.
• The investigation agency will produce him in the court on Wednesday and request for transit remand.
• He will later be taken to Bhopal.

Vyapam:

• The Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) or MP Vyavsayik Pareeksha Mandal, also known as Vyapam, conducts almost every exam in the state for government job seekers and for admission to educational institutes in the state.
• The scam involves massive corruption and irregularities in the entrance examination.
• More than 45 people related to the Vyapam scam have died after it hit the national headlines in 2013. This includes witnesses, persons accused in the case and recently an AajTak journalist, Akshay Singh, who was investigating the case. He died under mysterious circumstances.
• Complaints surfaced regarding irregularities in the functioning of the Board in 2009 and after a PIL was filed by Indore-based Anand Rai, the Madhya Pradesh CM formed a committee to investigate the matter. After they released their report in 2011, police arrested several people.

Deaths:

Ramakant Panda

The police constable had been questioned in the Vyapam case four months back. On Tuesday, July 7, Panda was found dead in Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh.

Anamika Kushwaha

A trainee cop recruited through Vyapam, Anamika was found dead in a lake adjacent to the Police Training Academy in Sagar district headquarters on July 6, 2015.

Arun Sharma

Dean of medical college in Jabalpur, Aun Sharma was found dead at a hotel in Delhi on July 5, 2015 . He was assisting probe into the scam and providing documents on fake medical entrance examinees in the state-run medical college he was heading.

Akshay Singh

An Aaj Tak journalist, Akshay died under mysterious circumstances on July 4, 2015 while he was investigating the scam. He had called on the parents of Namrata Damor, whose body had been found under mysterious circumstances near railway tracks in Ujjain district.

Vijay Singh

Pharmacist Vijay went missing hours before he was supposed to appear before STF at the Bhopal High Court. He was found dead on April 28, 2015 in a lodge run by a BJP MLA in Kanker.

Shailesh Yadav

MP Governor Ram Naresh Yadav's son Shailesh, an accused in the Vyapam scam was found dead at his residence in Lucknow on March 25, 2015. Police suspected that he died due to a brain haemorrhage. Yadav had been served notice by the Special Task Force (STF), which has been probing the scam.

Amit Sagar

Indrajeet Bhushan, the primary accused in the scam had mentioned Amit Sagar's name during the investigations. But before the police could reach Sagar, he had already died. A student of Mhow Veterinary College, he was found dead in a pond on 18 February, 2015 in Sheopur.

Dr DK Sakalley

Dean of Netaji Subhashchandra Bose Medical College of Jabalpur, Dr DK Sakalley allegedlyimmolated himself in a garden behind his house on July 4, 2014. A suicide note was also recovered.

Ramendra Singh Bhadoria

Medical student Bhadoria was booked in the scam in January 2015. On January 15, 2014 he was found hanging at his home in Gwalior. A few weeks later, his mother committed suicide by consuming acid.

Lalit Golaria

A student accused in the PMT scam, Lalit's body was found in Morena under a bridge in January 2015, 2014.

Namrata Damor

Medical student Namrata's body was found on the railway tracks near Ujjain in 2012. In 2014, Namrata's names appeared in the list of student suspects in the scam, leading to suspicions of foul play.

On July 6, 2015 Vyapam scam whistleblower claimed threat to his and his wife's life. He alleged that the MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan "wants him dead".

DGP Javeed Ahmad tweeted :

Main accused of MP VYAPAM scam Ramesh Shivhare nabbed in Kanpur by UP STF. Is wanted by CBI.

— Javeed (@javeeddgpup) 4 May 2016