CBI files 18th FIR in Vyapam case

The CBI on Thursday registered its 18th FIR in connection with its ongoing probe in the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh.

The first information report (FIR) was registered against 64 people related to the alleged illegalities committed in the police constable recruitment examination conducted by Vyapam in 2013.

The FIR was registered under charges of cheating, criminal conspiracy, and under the IT Act, Prevention of Corruption Act and the Madhya Pradesh Recognised Examination Act.

It includes the name of then controller of examinations Pankaj Trivedi, then system analyst Nitin Mohindra, then senior system analyst Ajay Kumar Sen, then officer on special duty (OSD) Raj Bhavan Dhanraj Yadav and then OSD to the minister for technical education Om Prakash Shukla.

The Central Bureau of Investigation has already registered 17 FIRs and launched 10 preliminary inquiries into the scam in the Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal (Vyapam) -- or the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB).

The Supreme Court on July 9 handed over the Vyapam cases to the central agency for investigation. More than 40 people linked with the scam have died under mysterious circumstances.