Bhubaneswar, Jan. 7: Deogarh police today arrested four persons, including the illiterate parents of Sani Sahoo, who allegedly committed suicide after being strip searched by school authorities following a complaint of theft.

The headmaster of Kundigola high school in Riamal block of Deogarh district, the Hindi teacher who had conducted the search and parents of the girl were taken into custody on charges of abetement to suicide and for not furnishing information to the investigating authorities.

Parents of the girl had conducted her funeral without allowing postmortem thereby destroying vital evidence.

At least three probes had been initiated into the case. The incident that took place on December 28 had rocked the state inviting criticism from all quarters. On the fateful day, a student of Class VIII made a complaint to the school headmaster alleging that Rs 110 was missing from her pencil box. The teacher who was told to find the culprit reportedly strip searched around 30 students of the class and in the process found the stolen amount from one Sani Sahoo. Unable to bear the humiliation, Sahoo apparently committed suicide by consuming poison on her way back home. The teenager was rushed to hospital but died on the way.

While two out of the three probes conducted by the Deograrh district project coordinator, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and the local circle inspector concluded that the school authorities were not at fault, the report for a third probe that was initiated by the school and mass education department early this week is yet to be submitted.

A team consisting of two female Class I officers had visited the area to conduct the third probe.

The arrest of the illiterate parents of the deceased girl has, however, evoked strong reaction from the local residents who gheraoed the police station for some time.