Latest news with #ShalarthIDs
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Shalarth ID scam: 3 arrested from Bhandara
Nagpur: The Shalarth ID scam has taken a fresh twist as more malpractices surfaced in Bhandara district involving Vinod Education Society, operating as Vinod High School and Junior College of Arts and Science at Gose, Buj in taluka Paoni. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Police said the key accused is Chetak Dongre (44), acting secretary of the society and headmaster, who took over after his father Rajesh Dongre passed away in 2018. Chetak, along with Sadanand Jangde (45), a teacher whose approval proposal was sent to the deputy director of education, and Gangadhar Dongre (63), society secretary, have been arrested by the SIT formed to probe the Shalarth ID scam. Sadar police station senior inspector Manish Thakare, under DCP Rahul Madane, played a key role in the investigation. Chetak's mother, Parvatabai (75), society president, failed to appear for questioning on June 26, 2025, citing her age. The malpractices surfaced after accused Mahendra Kar's house was searched and documents seized by authorities. The scam allegedly involves forged Shalarth IDs to secure unauthorised teacher approvals, raising concerns about systemic fraud in educational institutions. Authorities are probing deeper into the society's operations, with further arrests and revelations expected as the investigation unfolds. Nagpur: The Shalarth ID scam has taken a fresh twist as more malpractices surfaced in Bhandara district involving Vinod Education Society, operating as Vinod High School and Junior College of Arts and Science at Gose, Buj in taluka Paoni. Police said the key accused is Chetak Dongre (44), acting secretary of the society and headmaster, who took over after his father Rajesh Dongre passed away in 2018. Chetak, along with Sadanand Jangde (45), a teacher whose approval proposal was sent to the deputy director of education, and Gangadhar Dongre (63), society secretary, have been arrested by the SIT formed to probe the Shalarth ID scam. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Sadar police station senior inspector Manish Thakare, under DCP Rahul Madane, played a key role. Chetak's mother, Parvatabai (75), society president, failed to appear for questioning on June 26, 2025, citing her age. The malpractices surfaced after accused Mahendra Kar's house was searched and documents seized by authorities. The scam allegedly involves forged Shalarth IDs to secure unauthorised teacher approvals, raising concerns about systemic fraud in educational institutions. Authorities are probing deeper into the society's operations, with further arrests and revelations expected as the investigation unfolds.
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Time of India
Shalarth ID Scam: School director from Kalmeshwar arrested
Nagpur: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Shalarth ID scam in the education department on Saturday arrested Dilip Dhote, the director of a prominent school at Mohpa, Kalmeshwar. The arrest follows an extensive interrogation and investigation into the scam, which caused significant financial losses to the state exchequer. According to official sources, Dhote allegedly bypassed the headmaster to create and regularise Shalarth IDs for teachers, enabling unauthorised appointments. He is accused of facilitating the recruitment of several teachers using forged documents and approving their salaries and arrears dating back to 2013-14. Additionally, Dhote allegedly transferred these teachers to other schools under his management. Sources said that Dhote allegedly used coercive tactics and threatened to withhold salaries of teachers or staff who opposed his actions. The SIT's probe uncovered evidence of systematic manipulation, prompting swift action against Dhote. The arrest sent shock waves through the local education community, raising concerns about oversight in school administrations. Authorities are investigating to identify other individuals involved in the scam and to assess the full extent of the financial damage. Dhote is currently in custody. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Hindustan Times
24-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Edu officer who led inquiry into Nagpur teacher appointments fraud arrested
MUMBAI: In a significant development in the fraudulent teacher appointments fraud (Shalarth ID scam) in Nagpur, the Cyber Police on Thursday night arrested Chintaman Vanjari, who led the official inquiry into the scam, for his involvement in the scam. Vanjari is currently working as a divisional chairperson of the state education board. Vanjari's arrest marks a dramatic turn in a case. The police action against him comes a day after the arrest of a clerk in the deputy director of education's office, Laxman Upasrao Mangham, for allegedly creating fake IDs. According to investigators, Mangham's interrogation led to the flagging of Vanjari's name. Vanjari was also allegedly named during earlier interrogations of the other accused. The scam, believed to have been running since 2019, involved the illegal generation of Shalarth IDs, digital identifiers used to disburse salaries for ineligible teaching and non-teaching staff, in Nagpur district. Many of these appointments took place even when the government's official recruitment process was on hold. The scam came to light after Ravindra Dnyaneshwar Patil, a junior administrative officer, filed a formal complaint with the cyber police on March 12, reportedly on the instructions of then divisional deputy director, Ulhas Narad. Following this, a seven-member committee was formed in March under Narad to investigate the misuse of Shalarth IDs. However, on April 11, Narad was arrested after it was found he too had created fake Shalarth IDs. After Narad's arrest, a new committee was led by Madhuri Savarkar, an education department officer. However, the inquiry was abruptly halted in April with no reason and Vanjari was brought in to lead the investigation. His report submitted to the education commissioner in February listed 244 suspicious appointments, triggering further scrutiny. In April, the state government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into how the fabricated identities were uploaded onto the Shalarth portal to draw salaries of teachers and non-teaching staff. 'This case has exposed serious lapses and collusion within the education department,' a senior officer from the SIT said. 'We are closing in on the main masterminds.' Police suspect that forged documents and signatures, including those of the late education officer Someshwar Naitam, were used to appoint teachers fraudulently between 2010 and 2014, with their IDs created years later. The SIT has now turned its attention to another senior officer already under suspicion, with further arrests likely
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Time of India
Shalarth ID scam: Another top edu official in SIT net
Nagpur: In a significant breakthrough on Wednesday, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested former deputy director of education Anil Pardhi in the Shalarth ID scam that rocked the education department, said assistant commissioner of police Sunita Meshram. Pardhi will be produced before the court on Thursday. On Tuesday, the SIT had arrested Laxman Magam, an education department clerk, after a month-long manhunt, marking a critical step in unravelling the fraud involving the creation of approximately 1,500 fake Shalarth IDs used for irregular teacher recruitments and promotions in govt aided schools. Magam was nabbed from a friend's residence at Dabha. Magam was produced before a court on Wednesday and remanded in police custody until May 26. The SIT, led by ACP Meshram under zonal DCP Rahul Madane, had requested 10-day custody but was granted six days to probe further. Searches were conducted at Magam's residence at Dabha following his arrest. His interrogation led to Pardhi's arrest on Wednesday. Commissioner of police Ravinder Singal formed the nine-member SIT on May 15. It has been tasked with investigating two cases related to the Shalarth ID scam. Currently, 623 fraudulent Shalarth IDs are under scrutiny, with statements recorded from around 30 school management representatives and headmasters. According to SIT sources, Magam charged Rs20,000 per fake ID, acting on instructions from former deputy director of education Ulhas Narad, who is currently out on bail. Investigations reveal that top officials, including Narad, allegedly extorted Rs10 lakh from aspiring teachers, passing a fraction of the amount to Magam for generating fake IDs using forged documents. This systematic fraud allowed unqualified candidates to secure teaching positions, undermining the integrity of the education system. The SIT is now intensifying its probe, with another key suspect, Nilesh Waghmare, on its radar. Described as a 'big fish' in the scam, Waghmare's potential arrest could further expose the web of corruption. The team also plans to challenge the bail of several top officials, including Narad, arguing that their custody is essential for deeper investigation into the scam's operations. The scandal has sparked outrage, highlighting systemic flaws in the education department's oversight mechanisms. The fake Shalarth IDs not only enabled fraudulent recruitments but also siphoned off public funds meant for legitimate educators. The SIT's ongoing investigation aims to hold all culprits accountable and restore trust in the system. As the probe continues, the education department faces mounting pressure to implement stricter regulations and transparency measures.
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Time of India
Greed blew the lid off multi-cr teacher hiring scam in Maha?
Nagpur: The multi-crore teacher hiring scam for which a special investigation team (SIT) has now been set up, may have remained under wraps had it not been for the 'greed' of scamsters. A top source who preferred anonymity, said ' corrupt education officials ' went for a larger slice of the ill-gotten gains that raised the red flag. These officials, overconfident in pulling off the scam, submitted salary bills dating back a decade which led to massive payment demand and this popped up on the radar of the education department. Explaining the complicated case in simple terms, the source said "The entire teacher hiring scam is related to creation of Shalarth IDs, which is a unique number given to teachers so that they can get paid. Corrupt officials created this ID for ghost teachers, or for real persons but in a fraudulent manner." Before talking about how greed got the better of these corrupt officials, TOI's source mentioned how this scam was operating successfully. "It involved three parties. One was the education official, second was the school trustee and third was the so-called teacher. Education officials used their login credentials for creating the Shalarth ID portal and allotted a unique number to this teacher so that payments started," said the source. It seems the scam worked perfectly till officials kept the teacher hiring date post-2018/19, that's when Shalarth ID was introduced. The source said "As per the scam, the teacher enters the Shalarth database in 2020 or 2021, and the salary kicks off. But these greedy corrupt officials decided to enter the hiring date of teachers from 2012 or 2013. By doing this, they can claim backdated wages. With teachers earning anywhere from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh per month, you do the math on a decade of back wages." This act of greed, the source said, led to the scam getting exposed and ultimately the investigations. "There are talks that just over Rs 200 crore was disbursed as salary under this scam," the source added. Police are investigating hundreds of such Shalarth ID creations.
