The house guard deployed at the residence of former social welfare minister Kumari Manju Verma and her former lawmaker husband Chandeshwar Prasad Verma has been withdrawn after the anticipatory bail plea of Manju was turned down by the high court on Tuesday.

A team from Cheria Bariarpur police station in Begusarai visited the Arjun Tola residence of the couple on Wednesday and quizzed house guard Mahesh Kumar Rajak to ascertain the whereabouts of the duo. Rajak was later withdrawn from their house.

The former minister and her husband have been named accused in an FIR lodged with the Cheria Bariarpur police station under the Arms Act.

A total of 50 live cartridges of different bores, including prohibited ones, were recovered from their house during a search by the CBI on August 17 this year.

The simultaneous raids were part of the CBI operation against the accused in the Muzaffarpur shelter home harassment and rape case. Manju had to resign from the post after her husband’s name figured in a diary recovered from the possession of Brajesh Thakur, alleged mastermind of the sex abuse scandal.

Begusarai superintendent of police Awakash Kumar said raids were conducted at different places to nab the accused in the Arms Act case.

Manjhaul deputy superintendent of police Suryadev Kumar said a warrant of arrest was issued against Chandeshwar Prasad Verma on September 25. The complaint against the couple was lodged on the statement of Umesh Kumar, a DSP of the CBI. On Thursday, while Brajesh was shifted to Bhagalpur Central Jail from Shaheed Khudiram Bose Central Jail at Muzaffarpur, others were transferred to Beur Jail in Patna.

The accused were transferred on the recommendation of IG (prisons) Mithilesh Mishra, who was approached by the CBI, which suspected that Brajesh was trying to tamper with the evidence and intimidating witnesses while staying in judicial custody in Muzaffarpur. The investigating agency, sources said, came across evidence to suggest prime accused Brajesh was using his connections to hamper probe from jail. The CBI is set to quiz three social welfare department officials who played an important role in disbursement of funds to Brajesh’s NGO.