Srinagar, Aug 4 (IANS): Sleuths of the Jammu and Kashmir crime branch investigating a scam running into crores of rupees regarding elementary teachers' training colleges arrested the former chairman of the state board of school education (BoSE), police said on Tuesday.

"Former BoSE chairman Sheikh Bashir Ahmad has been arrested for his involvement in the elementary teachers training scam. He is now being questioned to establish his role in the scam," a crime branch official told IANS.

The scam allegedly running into crores of rupees involves registration and recognition of training colleges by BoSE without any verification.

Sheikh Bashir Ahmad was arrested on Monday evening, while former BoSE secretary Bashir Ahmad Dar was arrested earlier by the crime branch.

According to sources in the crime branch, Dar had masterminded the scam in 2003 by managing registration of the training colleges without following the procedure.

"Most of the institutions that benefitted from the scam did not have any infrastructure," a source said.

Others arrested in connection with the scam include two owners of such training colleges and some lower rung officials of BoSE.

Crime branch sources said more people will be arrested in the coming days, depending on the custodial interrogation of the accused officials.