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ED begins probe against kingpins of Bihar’s inter examination toppers’ scam
The directorate of enforcement has opened an investigation to unearth the money trail in Bihar’s infamous merit scam of 2016 and will target the ill-gotten properties of the accused persons.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has started investigations into the alleged money-laundering aspect of the cash-for-results, intermediate toppers’ scam in the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB), that rocked the state in 2016.
This was confirmed by Anil Rawal, Spokesperson for the enforcement directorate, New Delh.
An official source told HT on Friday, that the ED, Patna zonal office, had started a separate probe into the scam after registering a money laundering case against those arrested in connection with the scam, based on the case registered by Patna’s Kotwali police, last year.
In 2016, the BSEB intermediate examination results threw up a slew of unlikely toppers, including Ruby Roy, who topped the arts stream, but failed to answer basic questions posed by the media and later by experts fielded by the BSEB.
Following an uproar, the state government had constituted a special investigation team (SIT), which arrested of over 32 persons, including BSEB chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh, his wife, Usha Sinha, and a number of other officials.
The investigations unearthed evidence to show money was paid on behalf of some candidates to officials to secure top marks in the examination.
As per the chargesheet filed on September 6, BSEB ex-chief Lalkeshwar, his wife and director and principal of Vishun Rai College, Vaishali, Bachcha Roy, were the kingpins of the scam. They allegedly managed high positions in state toppers list to candidates in return for money that ranged from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh per student.
The economic offence unit (EoU) of the Bihar police had recommended a probe by the ED, following a requisition of Patna SSP Manu Maharaaj, to book the alleged culprits under prevention of money laundering act (PMLA).
Inspector General of police, EoU, Jitendra Singh Gangwar told HT that he had recommended a probe by the ED against Bachcha Rai and his family members, who had allegedly acquired immovable properties worth over Rs 2 crore.
The ED, a source said, had registered the money laundering case under Sections 3 and 4 of the PMLA. The agency has moved Bihar police, seeking a copy of the charge-sheet filed in the toppers scam case, to prepare for a detailed investigation.
The source said the ED would soon move the designated PMLA court here, seeking permission to question the accused in judicial custody.
"The directorate's investigation will be confined to identifying the movable and immovable properties acquired by the accused from proceeds of crime and initiate legal processes for attaching the properties," he said.
"Rai and Singh are suspected to have properties outside Bihar too and a thorough the ED probe can bring all these things to light," the source said.
