The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday reportedly arrested the alleged mastermind of the Bihar exam row and former Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh, and his wife and former Janata Dal (United) MLA Usha Sinha from Varanasi.
"Lalkeshwar Singh and his wife Usha Sinha have been arrested from Varanasi in UP... Their arrest by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) was made following a tip off about their presence in the temple city of Uttar Pradesh", Manu Maharaj, senior superintendent of Police of Patna and head of the SIT team investigating the case, was quoted by the Hindu as saying, while adding that both the culprits will be brought to Patna soon.
According to the daily, a court order was also issued to the SIT team to seize Singh's property.
A First Information Report (FIR) had been lodged and an arrest warrant was issued against Singh, who has gone underground after resigning from the Board, and Sinha by the Patna civil court last week, NDTV reported. Both have gone missing since their names came up during investigation in the Bihar merit list scam.
JD(U) recently announced that Sinha, who was also the principal of Ganga Devi Women's college in Patna, would be "sacked" from the party automatically since her membership will not be renewed, the Hindu reported.
The case's main accused Amit Kumar alias Bachcha Rai, principal and director of the VR College in Vaishali, was arrested 10 days ago after he surrendered to the police. The daily quoted the investigation team as saying that Rai was in constant touch with Singh and his wife to manipulate the results of the students.
Meanwhile, a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI) stated that weapons including pistols and five live cartridges were seized from Rai's office in VR College on Sunday.
"A country-made pistol (manufactured in Munger) and five live cartridges were seized from Bachha Roy's office at Bishun Rai College," Maharaj was quoted by PTI as saying.
Ten people have been arrested in the case so far, according to NDTV.
