New Delhi: Former Andaman and Nicobar Islands chief secretary Jitendra Narain, accused of gangrape and sexual assault, was arrested Thursday, November 10, and is expected to be produced before a court today, the Indian Express reported.He was arrested after a sessions court in the Union Territory rejected his plea for anticipatory bail on Thursday, which had earlier been granted by benches of both the Delhi and Calcutta high courts.In October this year, Narain as well as labour commissioner R.L. Rishi, were named in a first information report (FIR) and accused of raping a 21-year-old woman in the Union Territory’s capital, Port Blair, on two occasions after promising her a government job.After news reports of the allegations came out, both Narain and Rishi were suspended on orders from the Union Home Ministry. The subsequent investigation into the case by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), according a report in the Indian Express, had unearthed evidence of a larger job-for-sex racket being run by the two officials; a claim reportedly corroborated by witness statements.Around 20 women were allegedly taken to Narain’s residence in this regard and a number of them were reportedly also given government jobs in return during his year-long tenure. Further, the Express report noted that the CCTV recordings from Narain’s residence had been erased around the time he left Port Blair for Delhi, where he served as the chairman and managing director (CMD) of the Delhi Financial Corporation before his suspension.Thereafter, on October 20, Narain approached the Delhi high court seeking anticipatory protection from arrest, which was granted by the court until October 28. He then approached the circuit bench of the Calcutta high court in Port Blair seeking for this protection to be extended until the next circuit bench resumed hearing cases after its vacation, on November 14. This, too, was granted.However, the A&N Islands administration moved the Supreme Court against his anticipatory bail, arguing that Narain’s decision to approach the Delhi and Calcutta high courts instead of the sessions court in Port Blair was an “abuse of process of law”, according to a report in the Indian Express.Hearing in the Supreme CourtOn Monday, November 7, the UT administration moved the Supreme Court against Narain’s anticipatory bail. Representing the administration, solicitor general Tushar Mehta argued that a prima facie case is made out against the former chief secretary and that there is already evidence – put forth by the SIT – that evidence in the case has been tampered with.He also pointed out that the survivor’s allegations had been corroborated by witnesses and that the other two accused in the case – Rishi and Rinku, a hotel owner who allegedly played a part in luring women to the chief secretary’s residence – had already been denied relief from the sessions court in the UT.The two accused are still absconding and the UT police have offered a reward of Rs 1 lakh each for information on their whereabouts.While the top court did not alter the anticipatory bail provided to Narain, it directed him to approach the sessions court in Port Blair.Present hearingNarain appeared before the sessions court on Thursday where district and sessions judge Subhashis Kumar Kar noted the “grave and heinous nature” of the crime and the “power and position” of a high-ranking bureaucrat like Narain.As such, the court noted that the need for Narain’s custodial interrogation could not be ruled out at that point in time. It further took note of the fact that despite appearing before the SIT, Narain was not cooperating with the investigation; and that the co-accused in the case had not been given relief.In light of these facts, the court rejected Narain’s plea for anticipatory bail.Soon after the verdict, a team of policemen reached a private resort where Narain is staying and took him to the Police Line amid heavy security.After his arrest, the police took the senior IAS officer from there to a hospital for a check-up shortly after 7.30 pm.“I will speak to you, you know, about the false… conspiracy and everything,” he told reporters while coming out from the hospital around one and a half hours later.A special investigation team (SIT) questioned Narain thrice in connection with the case.(With PTI inputs)