Maharashtra: SIT expands probe into fake Shalarth ID and bogus teachers' recruitment scams

Mumbai, July 28 (PTI) The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged fake Shalarth ID and bogus teachers' recruitment scams in Maharashtra has been directed to investigate similar cases registered in various districts, officials said on Monday.

An order to conduct an SIT investigation was issued by Manojkumar Sharma, Special Inspector General of Police (Law and Order), on behalf of the DGP.

The high-profile Shalarth ID and unauthorised teachers’ recruitment scams, which led to the embezzlement of crores of rupees in government funds, had rocked the state three months ago.

The scams involve creating thousands of fake teacher identities on the government’s salary and HR portal, Shalarth, to siphon off public money.

A case was registered at the Cyber Police Station in Nagpur.

To investigate the matter, the Nagpur Police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by DCP rank officer Nityanand Jha, an official said.

During the probe, it emerged that three related cases had been registered at Chalisgaon police station in Jalgaon district, with the local police handling the investigation at the time.

Considering the widespread nature of the scams across the state and the involvement of accused persons from various districts, the Director General of Police (DGP) has decided to transfer all related cases to the SIT.

Accordingly, the SIT headed by DCP Nityanand Jha of Nagpur Police will now investigate all cases, the official said.

The SIT head has been authorised to include additional police officers in the team as needed to facilitate the probe.

Furthermore, the SIT has been instructed to collect all documents from the cases registered at various police stations and commence a comprehensive investigation.

The DGP’s office also directed the SIT head to regularly submit investigation reports to the police headquarters. PTI DC NSK