Scam accused found dead

Patna: Diwakar Prasad, an accused in the Rs 8 crore Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) tender scam, died on Thursday under mysterious circumstances, prompting allegations from his relatives that he was murdered by police. Prasad, in his early 50s, was found dead on the road in front of his house located at Panchwati Nagar under the jurisdiction of Kotwali police station on Thursday. His son Vicky alleged that his father was pushed by cops from the rooftop, leading to his death. The police officials, however, denied the charge, saying that Diwakar jumped off the building after seeing the cops who had gone to arrest him. A police team headed by a sub-inspector Devkant had gone to Prasad's house to arrest him in connection with a case related to irregularities in floating tender for supply of answer sheets of the Intermediate examination to BSEB. The case was lodged by an Ahmedabad-based firm with the Kotwali police station here. Diwakar owned a printing press in Patna City area, which was earlier raided by the members of the special investigation team (SIT) probing the Intermediate topper scam. The raiding team had seized a few bundles of the answer sheets from Diwakar's printing press - Smrit Printing Mill. Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj said a case has been lodged with the Bahadurpur police station against a sub-inspector and five other policemen on the statement of the victim's relatives. The SSP said the CCTV footage from the buildings near the spot had been obtained. "Action will be initiated against the cops if the allegations were found to be true against them," Maharaaj told The Telegraph. Prasad's death coincides with an order of the economic offences wing that all assets of the prime accused in the scam be seized.