SIT arrests couple for siphoning off Rs 16L scholarship money

Roorkee: The special investigation team (SIT) probing the multi-crore SC/ST students’ scholarship scam on Sunday arrested a couple from Paniyala village near Roorkee for siphoning off over Rs 16 lakh. The couple ran a fake study centre affiliated to a Himachal Pradesh university.
According to sources, the man, who earlier worked as a computer operator in the district social welfare department, set up a fake study centre in Tansipur village near Roorkee in 2013. He then furnished a fake list of students and the university’s affiliation letter at the social welfare department and withdrew Rs 16,69,300. Soon after, the study centre was closed down.
The SIT has also registered different cases of financial fraud against 10 private institutes, including ITIs at different police stations of the district. The ten institutes allegedly duped the state government of scholarship money to the tune of over Rs 12 crore.
The SIT of Garhwal zone, led by IPS officer Manjunath TC, is currently probing financial frauds committed by private institutes in Dehradun and Haridwar districts.
In Haridwar, the SIT has registered 46 FIRs of financial fraud of over Rs 156 crore and arrested 26 persons. In Dehradun, it has registered 16 FIRs of financial fraud and arrested six persons.
“An investigation is underway against institutes that committed scholarship scam in Dehradun and Haridwar districts,” said Manjunath TC.