After a 12-year-long pursuit, the CBI has arrested an impersonator who appeared in the Police Constable Recruitment Test (PCRT)-2013 on behalf of a candidate, a key case in the infamous Vyapam scam.
The accused, Shelendra Kumar, was apprehended in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, in connection with a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on September 15, 2013, officials confirmed.
According to the CBI, Kumar had taken the exam on behalf of another candidate and was previously arrested by Madhya Pradesh Police. However, when the CBI filed a charge sheet in June 2017, he failed to appear and subsequently went into hiding. By July 2018, he was formally declared an absconder.
Recently, the CBI leveraged technical intelligence to develop crucial leads, which confirmed Kumar&rsquo;s identity and location in Haridwar. Acting swiftly, a team traced and arrested him on Monday.
Earlier this year in January, RTI activist Ashish Chaturvedi, one of the key whistleblowers of the Vyapam scam, faced charges of allegedly abusing and misbehaving with Special Armed Force (SAF) jawans assigned to his security. According to a complaint, Chaturvedi allegedly forced jawans to perform household chores and abused them if they refused. The incident reportedly occurred in Chandrabadni under the Jhansi Road police station, where the jawans were stationed.
Chaturvedi, a Jhansi resident, was provided security on Madhya Pradesh High Court orders in 2022.
Another whistleblower, Anand Rai, who also exposed the Vyapam scam, formally entered politics last year by joining a national party. In 2013, Rai had filed a PIL in the Madhya Pradesh High Court, demanding an investigation into the irregularities. The High Court ordered a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), and the case was later transferred to the CBI in 2015.
The CBI&rsquo;s investigation led to the arrest of several high-profile figures, including the state&rsquo;s former Education Minister. [Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed]

Shelendra Kumar, absconding since 2017, caught in Haridwar in Vyapam scam case

CBI nabs Vyapam accused after 12 years

Shelendra Kumar, absconding since 2017, caught in Haridwar in Vyapam scam case

September 9, 2025 | 23:42 IST