Buxar scholarship scam mastermind arrested

Kumar Rajiv Nayan

Buxar: Buxar police arrested the mastermind of the scholarship scam worth about Rs. 2 crore and owner of four fake schools Ravi Prakash Singh in the wee hour on Tuesday from Koerpurva locality under Buxar Town police station and admitted him to Buxar Sadar Hospital in the evening the same day after he complained of pain in chest. He is a resident of village Khochariyan under Dhansoi police station in Buxar district.

SHO, Buxar Town police station, Raghav Dayal said that Ravi Prakash Singh is the Headmaster of Kishori Sinha Girls High School but he owns four fke schools. He received about Rs 2 crore for students’ scholarship in the name of his fake schools allegedly with the help of Buxar District Welfare Officer (DWO) , Rakesh Kumar. When the matter came to light, Buxar DM formed an inquiry committee to probe the matter. After the inquiry committee submitted it report, an FIR was lodged with Buxar Town police station against two dozen persons including owners of eight fake schools, 12 members of NGOs involved in running fake schools, DWO Rakesh Kumar and an employee of the District Welfare Department.

The inquiry committee also raised finger towards the role of some employees of four banks saying that such big amount can’t be embezzled without involvement of bank officials. The DM also sought explanation from the Branch Managers of four banks but nothing concrete has so far been done in this regard.

A Congress leader T N Choubey wrote to the Chief Secretary,  DGP and the Vigilance Investigation Bureau alleging that the district administration was trying to hush up the matter though FIR has been lodged. He claimed that the DWO was regularly present at the meeting convened by the DM but the police did not arrest him.  DWO was earlier placed under suspension.

The SHO said that Ravi Prakash Singh admitted that he ran two girls schools but expressed his ignorance about other two schools. He said that the police was trying to know how he embezzled such a huge amount and which persons got share in it. The SHO said that after his arrest, Ravi Prakash Singh  complained sever pain in his chest and so he had to be admitted to the hospital.