31 convicted in Madhya Pradesh's Vyapam scam case

A CBI court on Thursday convicted 31 people in a case related to the infamous Vyapam recruitment and admission scam of Madhya Pradesh.

They were found guilty on a host of counts, including cheating by personation, cheating and forgery related to 2013 police constable exam conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB), better known by its Hindi acronym Vyapam (Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal), the prosecution said.

CBI special judge S B Sahu convicted 31 accused, including 12 imposters and seven middlemen, on different counts, CBI special prosecutor Satish Dinkar told PTI.

The quantum of punishment to the guilty persons will be pronounced on November 25, he said.

The prosecution produced 91 witnesses and evidence to nail the culprits for cheating by personation, cheating, dishonesty, forgery, forgery for cheating and forging document under IPC sections 419, 420, 467, 468 and 471, Dinkar said.

He said of the 12 imposters writing the examination on behalf of other candidates, six each were arrested from Bhopal and Datia then.

The Vyapam scam refers to irregularities in exams held by the MPPEB for admission in professional courses and state services over several years. The scam hit national headlines three years ago.

The MPPEB is now known as the Professional Examination Board.