Bihar toppers scam kingpin, wife arrested

Ex-chairman of Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh, the alleged mastermind of the toppers scam in the Bihar intermediate examination, and his former JD(U) MLA wife Usha Sinha were on Monday arrested from Varanasi, a senior police officer said here.

“Lalkeshwar Singh and his wife Usha Sinha have been arrested from Varanasi”, Senior Superintendent of Police of Patna, Manu Maharaj said. Their arrest by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) was made following a tip off about their presence in the temple city of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, the SSP, who is heading the SIT on toppers' merit muddle, said. He said further details would be provided later on.

Lalkeshwar Singh and his wife Usha Sinha, a co-accused in the toppers scandal, had gone underground after police had acquired an arrest warrant from a Patna court in the irregularities in the Bihar +2 examination.

The SIT was armed with a court order to attach Lalkeswar Singh's property which would have taken place today. Usha Sinha, a former JD(U) MLA from Hilsa and Principal of Ganga Devi college in Patna from which she was removed, is a co-accused in the case where degrees were allegedly awarded to undeserving students in lieu of a hefty sum of money. 

Secretary-cum-Principal of Vaishali-based Bishun Rai Intermediate college, Bachha Rai from where Arts and Science toppers Ruby Rai and Saurabh Shrestha hailed from, is already in police net and has provided information about the modus operandi of Lalkeshwar Singh and his wife in running the degree racket, the police said.

A day after arms and ammunition were seized from his office, Bachha Rai, principal of Bishun Rai Intermediate college in Vaishali district which is in the eye of a storm over the 10+2 toppers scam in Bihar was booked under Arms Act. A case has been filed against him at Bhagwanpur police station under section 25 (1)(B) and section 26 of the Arms Act for illegal possession of weapon and ammunition at his office, Bhagwanpur police station in-charge Vikram Acharya said. The Vaishali police will soon seek his remand for interrogation in connection with registration of the case against him under the Arms Act, he said.