ranchi

Updated: Oct 23, 2015 22:21 IST

Police arrested on Friday one of the four Latehar education department staffers who allegedly sold to a scrap dealer a truckload of school textbooks meant to be distributed for free among poor children in Chandwa.

Police seized 169 bags containing fresh copies of textbooks, dispatched by the Jharkhand Education Project office, for students of Classes 1 to 8. There were enough books to cover students of at least 60 government primary and middle schools in the district, which is around 100 km away from Ranchi.

On Tuesday evening, the police chanced upon the textbooks at the scrap dealer’s godown at Tilaiyatand after they went there searching for scrap stolen from Abhijeet power plant.

Following the seizure, Latehar district superintendent of education Kamlesh Tiwary lodged a first information report (FIR) against five people -- block education extension officer Sunil Keshari, block porgramme officer Manish Pradhan, district resource group Jaiprakash aka Nilu Singh, peon Dhaneshwar Oraon and scrap dealer Mohammad Shakeel.

“This is highly unfortunate that the books that should have been in the hands of the poor children have landed at a scrap dealer’s shop,” said Latehar district superintendent of education Kamlesh Tiwary.

“We have also recommended a departmental proceeding against the government servants,” said Tiwary.

Latehar superintendent of police Anoop Birtharay said Nilu Singh had been arrested and others were absconding.

“We are conducting raids to arrest others,” said Birtharay.