Patna: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday arrested Bihar School Examination Board's former chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh and his wife Usha Sinha from Varanasi, in connection with Class 12 toppers' scam, police said.
Both were absconding in the Bihar Intermediate results scam and mass irregularities in the BSEB.
Lalkeshawar Prasad had resigned from BSEB Chairman post on June 8 and had been missing since then.
Earlier, an FIR was lodged and arrest warrant was issued by a local court against both in connection with the case. Since then both had gone underground.
“Lalkeshwar Singh and his wife Usha Sinha have been arrested from Varanasi in UP”, Manu Maharaj, Senior Superintendent of Police of Patna, confirmed. Both will be brought to Patna soon, he added.
“Their arrest by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) was made following a tip off about their presence in the temple city of Uttar Pradesh”, said the SSP, who heads the SIT team.
The SIT had also got a court order to attach Lalkeswar Singh's property which was to be executed on Monday.
Usha Sinha, a former JD(U) MLA from Hilsa and Principal of Ganga Devi Women’s college in Patna from where she was removed recently, too was made co-accused in the case for her “active role” in the result scam case.
JD(U) recently had also declared that Usha Sinha’s membership of the party will not be renewed and she would automatically be “sacked” from the party.
Earlier, the SIT team of the police had arrested the main accused in the case Amit Kumar alias Bachcha Rai, principal and director of the dubious VN Rai College of Vaishali from where most of the Intermediate topper students had come out.
Both the Humanities and Science toppers Ruby Rai and Saurabh Shresth who were earlier caught on camera not answering even the basic questions of their subject and had embarrassed the government and triggered the scam.
Bachcha Rai, said the investigating team, had spilled beans that he was in regular touch with Lalkeshwar Singh and his wife Usha Sinha for managing the results of the students.
Police had recently seized Rs 20 lakh, gold and diamond ornaments, stuffed in stacked fodder heap at his residence and a country-made pistol as well from the office chamber of Bachcha Rai.
So far 10 persons have been arrested in the case.
(With inputs from agencies)
