Along with Vinod Sharma, who was taken into custody after a CBI raid at the CRPF camp in Lucknow and his office, Head Constable B V Choubey of the CBI and a tout, Arvind Kumar, have also been arrested. Choubey, alleged to be involved in the scam, was originally recruited in the CRPF.

CBI officials said that while they suspected Sharma was the mastermind behind the scam, involving recruitment for the post of constables in Uttar Pradesh, they were probing the role of other officials as well. The recruitment of over 1,500 constables for the state started nearly two months ago and the process is still on.

Head Constable Choubey was caught red-handed by the CBI while accepting Rs 90,000 from a "tout" allegedly engaged by him. Officials said they had conducted searches at six locations in Lucknow and recovered large number of slips containing details of prospective candidates.

The CBI carried out the raids after a tip-off from within the CRPF on irregularities in recruitment.

The CBI has registered a case against Sharma and others for running a racket in selection to various posts of constables, including general duty constables, drivers, fitters and other posts in the force. "It was found that the DIG of the CRPF provided information about recruitments and vacancies to his touts, including a Head Constable of the CBI, who was originally recruited in the CRPF and had a network of touts in different districts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand and Madhya Pradesh," said CBI spokesperson Harsh Bhal.

After collecting information on recruitment schedules/vacancies, they would contact prospective candidates and promise them selection in lieu of a hefty bribe. "The candidates were asked to make part payment in advance and the rest within seven-eight days of selection. The advance payment of unsuccessful candidates would be refunded after deduction of a token amount," Bhal added.