PEB scam: MP sleuths visit UP to make arrest, taken hostage instead

A team of sleuths from Madhya Pradesh was held hostage on Thursday by a BSP strongman and former MP in Uttar Pradesh’s Chitrakoot for attempting to arrest his son in connection with the multi-layered examination and recruitment scam, police said.

Police had to brave a hostile crowd determined not allow the release of the team — comprising members of Madhya Pradesh’s special investigation team and special task force — for several hours before they were rescued in Balduaganj of Chitrakoot.

Balduaganj borders Satna district of Madhya Pradesh and is a stronghold of the former Bahujan Samaj Party parliamentarian RK Singh Patel.

Singh’s youngest son Sudhir, a doctor, is accused of arranging people who appeared on behalf of students in examinations conducted by the MP Professional Examination Board or Vyapam, its Hindi acronym.

The examination scam saw touts manipulate seating arrangements of candidates, provide forged answer sheets and even arrange proxy candidates to write the exams for admission to colleges and recruitment in government jobs.

After the bid to arrest the accused failed, the SIT and STF jointly served a notice to him, asking him to appear for questioning about his role in the scam.

The release of MP policemen came with a rider from Chitrakoot police that they should be kept it in the loop for future operations or face the consequences on their own.

The MP team was headed by inspector Dharmendra Yadav.