Former BSEB chairman makes big revelations, claims Bihar toppers paid Rs 20 lakh for results

Patna: Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh, former Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) chairman who was arrested recently, has made startling revelations regarding the Bihar toppers scandal during his interrogation by the state police.

According to a 'Times of India' report, the ex-BSEB chairman has reportedly confessed to have taken Rs 20 lakh from the kingpin of a cheating racket to help each unworthy student become a topper.

Besides, Singh also charged Rs 4 lakh for granting affiliation to each shady intermediate college, police said.

Disclosing more about the Bihar toppers scandal, Patna SSP Manu Maharaaj said Singh, during his tenure as BSEB head, granted affiliation to over 100 colleges.

Both Singh and his ex-MLA and ex-professor wife Usha Sinha were arrested from Varanasi on Monday for their alleged involvement in the cheating racket, allegedly headed by now-jailed college principal Bachcha Rai, that helped students top this year's BSEB class XII exam.

Singh and his wife were later sent in a three-day police custody on Wednesday.

Rai also paid on the behalf of parents, as government grants to his college in Vaishali district, where many fake toppers wrote their papers, increased, police said.

The scam came to light on May 30 when two toppers, Ruby Rai and Saurabh Shreshta, looked clueless during a media interview about the subjects they had excelled in.

Police further claimed Singh's son-in-law Vivek Kumar, son of former Magadh University vice-chancellor Arun Kumar, was also part of the racket as he printed confidential documents of the BSEB.

A raid was conducted on his residence in Patna on Wednesday but nothing was found.