The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating the multi-crore Vyapam scam, has found documentary evidence suggesting that bureaucrats involved in the scam opened bank accounts in foreign countries. According to sources within the investigating agency, at least 12 officers opened bank accounts in Shanghai and Hong Kong. These officers were, at one point or the other, dealing with the investigation in the scam or had worked in the Professional Examination Board (PEB) or Vyapam.
“Our inquiry into the scam is still in the nascent stage. We are still sorting out documents related to the scams. Many of the documents seem to have been retouched. In many documents important pages are missing. During the initial inquiry we spoke to some of the witnesses and accused in the scam (mostly students and parents who had paid money to get either admission in government college or a government job). It was they who told us that some of the officers of the board and some of the officers who were investigating the scam were operating bank accounts in foreign countries and in tax haven centres. We have already collected documentary evidence related to the matter,” a senior agency source said.
Investigating officials did not rule out the possibility of politicians, who are alleged to be involved in the scam, too having bank accounts in tax havens. “Right now we are focusing on the officers. However, we do not rule out anything,” the official said.
The agency officials said that once all documents are collected and collated, the agency is likely to approach the banks seeking details of the transaction done by these officials after which the latter will be confronted by the agency.
The CBI took up the Vyapam probe in July after the Madhya Pradesh government ended its opposition to it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to have persuaded Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to go for a CBI investigation. Until now, around 45 people either directly or indirectly related to the scam, have died, most of them in mysterious circumstances.