LUCKNOW, Sept. 15 -- Sant Kabir Nagar police arrested a school operator on Monday in connection with a Rs.3.26 crore minority scholarship scam, over a year after an FIR was registered in the case. The arrest of Devvrat Chaudhary, the operator and principal of three educational institutions, is the first arrest made in the case so far. Chaudhary was arrested following a raid at Tiltha village under the Mahuli police station area, based on an informer's tip-off. According to a police statement, Chaudhary is the operator and principal of Swargiya Ram Subhag Chaudhary Saryu Dei Inter College, Purva Madhyamik Vidyalaya Tiltha and Yashoda Devi Balika Vidyalaya Tiltha in Nathnagar. He was wanted in connection with alleged irregularities in the disbursement of minority scholarships. The case pertains to the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic sessions. Following directions from district minority welfare officer Praveen Kumar Mishra, inspections and verifications of suspected educational institutions and scholarship beneficiaries were conducted across the district. The verification process uncovered financial irregularities amounting to Rs.3,25,96,960 across 46 educational institutions. Following these findings, an FIR was registered at Kotwali police station on June 23, 2025, against the management of the concerned institutions, Institute Nodal Officers (INOs), Heads of Institutions (HOIs) and other individuals linked to the scholarship process. Police said a total of 98 persons were named in the FIR in connection with the alleged financial irregularities, with Chaudhary being among those wanted. The arrest comes approximately 15 months after the FIR was registered. Circle officer (CO) City Khalilabad, Priyam Raj Shekhar Pandey, said the accused was produced before the court and sent to jail....