Shalarth 'scam': 500+ teachers hired fraudulently; they paid ₹20-30L each
What's the story
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the 'Shalarth ID' scam in Maharashtra has discovered a massive fraud involving the recruitment of over 500 teachers.
Out of 622 teachers appointed, only 75 were hired through proper procedures, a senior police official said.
The remaining 547 were recruited using fake IDs after paying ₹20-30 lakh each.
The total value of this scam could exceed ₹100 crore, the official added.
Investigation expansion
SIT's focus shifts to education officers, teachers
The SIT, headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Sunita Meshram, is now shifting its focus to education officers and teachers.
Meshram said more arrests are likely in this case as the probe continues.
The team had recently gone to Bhandara to arrest retired deputy director Satish Mendhe for his alleged involvement, but he was not found at his residence.
Probe initiation
SIT formed in April to investigate Shalarth scam
The SIT was constituted in April this year to investigate how fake identities were used for disbursing salaries through the Shalarth portal in Nagpur.
The Shalarth portal is a centralized system of the Maharashtra government that manages payroll and service records of employees at government and government-aided schools.
Several arrests have been made in connection with this case so far.