PATNA: The police today conducted raids at the office and residence of Manisha Dayal, a former model whose NGO runs a shelter home for mentally challenged women, where two of the inmates died recently.
According to police sources, raids were conducted at the office of the NGO 'Anumaya Human Resources Foundation' in the posh Boring Road locality and Dayal's residence in the vicinity.
Dayal, along with her associate Chirantan Kumar, was arrested on Sunday after the death of two inmates of 'Aasra' shelter home came to light.
The duo was sent to three days in police custody by a court yesterday.
The other two accused -- a doctor and an auxiliary nurse midwife attached to the shelter home -- are absconding since the deaths were reported.
The incident at the Patna-based home, coming close on the heels of Muzaffarpur sex scandal case in a government-funded shelter home, has laid bare the sorry state of affairs in such institutions managed by the social welfare department.
Police sources said a number of documents related to the shelter home have been seized from both the places, while people close to Dayal, including some members of her family, have been questioned.
Meanwhile, Principal Secretary, Social Welfare, Atul Prasad told PTI "we have deputed officials from our own department, as an ad hoc measure, to ensure that the inmates of the shelter home do not remain unattended".
"We had sent a team of doctors to the shelter home where at least three inmates were found to be severely anaemic.
They have been admitted to the Patna Medical College and Hospital," he added.
Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) founder Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, who raised the issue of Muzaffarpur shelter home scandal in the Lok Sabha, held a press conference here and demanded that a CBI probe be ordered into the "Aasra" shelter home episode as well.
"Manisha and Chirantan appear to be involved in a high-profile racket, the matter be handed over to the CBI. The Nitish Kumar government in the state should also explain what criterion it had adopted while entrusting the NGO with the upkeep of a shelter home for mentally challenged women, " he said.
"We have heard that a huge amount was paid as bribe to officials concerned for bagging the contract in favour of the NGO. This needs to be investigated. Call details of Manisha and Chirantan must also be examined to expose their close links with senior bureaucrats and political figures," the Madhepura MP alleged.