Patna: The investigation into the Bihar 12th Board merit list scam gathered steam today with the arrest of five people.
Former Bihar School Examination Board Chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh, however, was still absconding even as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) conducted raids searching for him.
Police said that Lalkeshwar was also involved in the scam and he will be arrested soon.
According to police, evidences gathered so far indicated that Singh was involved in the scam in which the answer books of certain examinees were tampered with to increase their score and push them up in the merit list.
Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj, who is heading the SIT, said that raids are being conducted in search of Singh.
“Five have been arrested so far. Two more names have surfaced in the scam. They are Lalkeshwar Prasad and VR college principal Baccha Rai. Both will be arrested soon,” he said.
The top cop further said that few officials of the Board Council were also involved in the scam.
A team of police led by Maharaj and Vaishali SP Rakesh Kumar also raided the VR College today and sealed it.
Police today also seized at least four bags of crucial documents from VR College principal Baccha Rai’s home.
Reports say that Lalu Prasad Yadav’s close aide Baccha Rai used to demand a huge amount of money from students to top the exams. The rate list which was managed by him started from – Rs 80,000 to top the exam, Rs 50,000 for good score, Rs 10,000 for first division, Rs 8,000 to pass and Rs 15,000 for providing proxy writers.
FIR was lodged in the case after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday intervened and directed the police to probe the matter as a criminal case.
Maharaj said that Singh along with director-cum-principal of VR College in Vaishali have been made accused in the case.
According to the FIR, fraud was committed by VR College authorities to influence the results.
"The answer books of the toppers appeared to have been changed which makes it a case of fraud," it stated.
Those named in the FIR include Science stream toppers Saurabh Sreshtha, Shalini Rai and Rahul Kumar, Arts topper Rubi Rai and VR College Principal. All the toppers were students of the same college.
