Patna/Bhagalpur: The CBI has picked up two suspects from Madhubani district in north Bihar for interrogation in connection with the fraudulent withdrawal of over Rs 1,000 crore from the accounts of the Bhagalpur district administration.

Acting on a tip off, a CBI team, aided by officials of Bisfi police station in Madhubani, carried out a raid at the house of one Priti Bharti at Salempur village on Wednesday morning and took two members of the family into custody.

Priti, said to be a close associate of Priya Kumar, the acting chairman of Srijan Mahila Vikas Sahyog Samiti Limited, the NGO at the centre of the scam, however, managed to dodge the raiding team.

She was not found at her native village.

"Priti Bharti was not found despite our best efforts. We provided every help to the CBI team," station house officer of Bisfi police station Gaya Singh told The Telegraph over phone on Wednesday.

The raiding team took Priti's father and brother into custody for further questioning. Local residents told the CBI team that Priti had visited the village a few days ago but left before the raid. She is believed to be in Patna, a source in the investigating agency said.

On November 5 this year, an investigating officer from Bhagalpur had visited Salempur, around 15km northeast of Bisfi police station, and enquired about Priti.

She used to deal with accounts of Srijan, which is headquartered at Sabour in Bhagalpur district.

Srijan founder Manorama Devi's younger son Amit Kumar and his wife Priya Kumar alias Priya Sinha used to run the NGO after Manorama's death in February this year.

Both Priya and her husband are still at large. The CBI has already issued red corner notices against the two main accused. All the 17 arrested persons in the case had appeared before the special CBI court in Patna from Bhagalpur central jail.