The Uttar Pradesh Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested a former school manager in connection with an alleged ₹10 million (₹1 crore) scholarship fraud involving fake educational institutions. According to investigators, the accused allegedly prepared forged documents and fraudulently obtained scholarship funds in the name of a non-existent school during the 2008–09 academic session, resulting in the misappropriation of government funds intended for students belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), minority communities, and the general category.
The EOW identified the arrested accused as Lal Singh, who was apprehended from Friends Colony in Etawah district. Officials said he had been under investigation for a considerable period. Following his arrest, he was produced before the court, and further legal proceedings are underway.
According to the investigation, the alleged scam dates back to the 2008–09 academic year, when managers and principals of 27 allegedly non-existent schools in Etawah district fraudulently inflated enrolment figures for students studying in Classes I to V to claim scholarship funds from the government. Investigators allege that instead of reaching genuine beneficiaries, the scholarship money was misappropriated.
The case was originally registered in 2009 as FIR No. 673/2009 at Civil Lines Police Station in Etawah under Sections 420 (cheating), 467, 468, 471 (forgery-related offences), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 204 of the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The investigation was later transferred to the EOW Kanpur Sector on the directions of the state government.
During the investigation, the EOW alleged that Lal Singh served as the manager of the purported Sant B.D.S. Public School at Manikpur Mod in Etawah, although investigators found the institution’s existence to be doubtful. The agency alleged that he prepared forged scholarship requisition documents, fabricated student records, and obtained scholarship funds in the names of fictitious students. Investigators further stated that many of the beneficiaries listed in the records were found to be non-existent during verification.
The EOW is now examining the possible involvement of other individuals connected to the alleged fraud. Officials are investigating who participated in establishing the fake schools, preparing forged records, inflating student enrolment, and facilitating the fraudulent disbursement of scholarship funds. Bank accounts, educational records, financial transactions, and official government documents are being scrutinised to reconstruct the complete money trail.
Authorities said forensic examination of documentary and digital evidence is continuing. If additional individuals, school operators, or any public officials are found to have been involved, appropriate legal action will be initiated against them. Investigators are also attempting to identify the ultimate beneficiaries of the allegedly embezzled funds and explore legal avenues for recovering the misappropriated government money.
Officials noted that scholarship fraud involving fictitious students, fabricated enrolment records, and forged documentation constitutes a serious economic offence, as it diverts public welfare funds away from deserving beneficiaries. The EOW stated that the investigation remains ongoing and that further arrests and additional legal action may follow based on the evidence collected during the course of the probe.
