Nagpur: The arrest of Dilip Dhote, Chairman and Director of Vitthal-Rukhmini Primary Multipurpose Educational Institute, has intensified the crackdown in the multi-crore Shalarth ID scam. As the investigation deepens, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Sunita Meshram has identified at least 30 school owners allegedly involved in illegally appointing teachers through forged documentation.
Dhote is the first school owner to be arrested in the case, marking a turning point in the probe that is now expected to tighten the noose around other educational institutions suspected of similar fraud. The SIT alleges that these schools submitted fake teacher approval proposals to obtain Shalarth IDs, enabling them to siphon off government funds by drawing salaries and arrears for non-existent or unqualified teachers.
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13 June 2025
The scam, believed to have been running since 2012, has already seen the arrest of 16 individuals, including education officials. Investigators claim that over 1,000 bogus appointments were made across Nagpur district, with only 350 verified as legitimate. The rest remain under scrutiny.
Meanwhile, the alleged mastermind of the racket, Nilesh Waghmare, a Pay Unit Superintendent, continues to evade arrest. Waghmare was suspended following the exposure of the scam and has since gone underground. His anticipatory bail plea was rejected by both the district sessions court and the High Court. Despite switching SIM cards frequently and communicating via WhatsApp with family members, police sources say they are closing in on 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 fallout is already being felt across the education sector. Teachers appointed using forged credentials now face imminent dismissal, while several school principals and administrators are reportedly under the police scanner.
Further complications arise from the incomplete records. A probe led by School Education Director Mahesh Palkar has found inconsistencies in the appointment of at least 1,056 teachers. Alarmingly, records for over 640 of them are missing or unverifiable. Investigators suspect these appointments were strategically made by school owners who showed inflated staff numbers on paper while redirecting the so-called teachers to other schools.
The education department is under pressure to submit a foolproof report within the next two days, with officials planning to coordinate their findings with Nagpur police. The case has sent shockwaves through the education sector, raising concerns over systemic lapses and long-running collusion between institutions and officials.
