With 35 mysterious deaths linked to the scam, the health condition of a CBI officer, who was rushed to assist in the search operations, meanwhile, triggered a scare.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Bindu Shekhar Jha suddenly fell ill, while on board Malwa Express, and was taken to a hospital, triggering speculation that he may have been drugged. The speculation was put to rest with the CBI, saying that he suffered a brain haemorrhage and it was not a case of drugging and that no foul play has emerged so far. He was taken to a hospital in Gwalior.
The searches in connection with alleged irregularities in the conduct of examinations by Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board, popularly known as Vyapam, spanned across Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, Rewa, Jabalpur, Lucknow and Allahabad, among other cities, CBI sources said.
They said the searches are not case specific and were aimed at unravelling the larger conspiracy of alleged corrupt practices in the conduct of the examinations.
Sources said this is the first-ever search operation undertaken by the premier agency after it started registering cases. “The Central Bureau of Investigation has today conducted searches at around 40 places, including 23 in Bhopal; five in Indore; two in Bhind and rest in Rewa, Ujjain, Vidisha, Chhattarpur, Jabalpur, Ashok Nagar, Badwani, all in Madhya Pradesh and Allahabad, Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh at the residential and official premises of accused persons in an on-going investigation relating to alleged Vyapam cases,” CBI spokesperson said here on Thursday.
The sources said the office of MP Professional Examination Board is also being searched by the CBI team. The agency has registered over 112 cases in connection with various aspects of Vyapam scam. CBI spokesperson said searches were carried out at the premises of the accused persons who had played a crucial role in perpetrating or orchestrating the scam.