By IANS,
Hyderabad: Suspended Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) chairman S.M. Sharma was Wednesday arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for his role in the RRB examination paper leak scam, an official said.
The CBI also took into custody G. Sethi, senior divisional personnel officer (SDPO), Raipur. They will be produced in the CBI court here Thursday, said Deputy Inspector General (CBI) V.V. Lakshmi Narayana.
The CBI took Sharma into custody a day after reportedly picking him up in Mumbai and bringing him here. CBI officials Tuesday grilled him at a secret location here about his role in the cash-for-job scam.
The court, meanwhile, remanded eight accused including Sharma’s son Vivek Bhardwaj, who were earlier arrested, to CBI custody for three days.
The federal investigating agency had last week unearthed the racket, involving railway officials and agents. They allegedly charged nearly Rs.3.5 lakh from each candidate for recruitment tests for Assistant Loco Pilots and Assistant Station Masters held early this month.
Investigations have revealed that at least 444 candidates were supplied question papers. Sharma, Bhardwaj and their accomplices are believed to have pocketed over Rs.15.5 crore in these deals.
The railway ministry suspended Sharma after the scam came to light. The other key accused include A.K. Jagannathan, a former additional divisional railway manager (ADRM) at Raipur and his son Srujan.