The arrest of Dilip Dhote, Chairman and Director of Vitthal-Rukhmini Primary Multipurpose Educational Institute, has added momentum to the ongoing probe into the multi-crore Shalarth ID scam. The Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by ACP Sunita Meshram, has reportedly identified around 30 school owners accused of appointing teachers using forged documents.
According to a media report, Dhote is the first school owner to be arrested in connection with the case, marking a pivotal moment in the investigation. The probe is now expected to close in on other educational institutions suspected of similar fraudulent activities. The SIT claims these schools submitted forged teacher approval proposals to obtain Shalarth IDs, which were then used to illegally withdraw government funds by claiming salaries and arrears for non-existent or unqualified teachers.
The scam, which is believed to have been operational since 2012, has so far led to the arrest of 16 individuals, including several education department officials. Investigators allege that more than 1,000 fraudulent teacher appointments were made across Nagpur district, out of which only 350 have been verified as genuine. The remaining appointments are still under investigation.
The alleged kingpin of the scam, Nilesh Waghmare, who served as a Pay Unit Superintendent, remains elusive. Suspended in the wake of the scam’s exposure, Waghmare has vanished from the public eye, evading authorities despite intensified efforts to trace him. His attempts to seek legal protection have failed, with both the district sessions court and the High Court rejecting his anticipatory bail. Despite frequently switching SIM cards and using WhatsApp to stay in limited contact with his family, police sources suggest that the noose is tightening around him.
According to SIT sources, Waghmare and complicit school owners allegedly received substantial kickbacks in lump sums. These bribes were linked to the illegal processing of teacher appointments and salary disbursements, some of which were backdated to inflate the payout amounts. The financial loss is estimated to be in crores.
The ripple effects of the scam are already being felt across the education sector. Teachers appointed through forged documents now face likely termination, and several school principals and administrators have come under police scrutiny.
Adding to the complexity, an inquiry led by School Education Director Mahesh Palkar has uncovered serious discrepancies in the appointments of at least 1,056 teachers. Shockingly, records for over 640 of them are either missing or unverifiable. Investigators believe school owners may have inflated staff numbers on paper and strategically placed these “teachers” in other institutions to exploit government funds.
The education department is racing against time to compile a foolproof report within the next two days, with plans to align its findings with the Nagpur police investigation. The case has sent shockwaves through the education system, exposing deep-rooted flaws and raising serious concerns about long-standing collusion between educational institutions and government officials.
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