Nagpur: In a major development in the Shalarth ID scam that has shaken the Education Department in Nagpur, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Wednesday arrested former Deputy Director of Education Anil Pardhi. The arrest follows a significant breakthrough a day earlier, when one of the prime accused, Laxman Upasrao Mangham, was caught while allegedly attempting to abscond from the city.
Mangham, 47, a resident of Dabha and a clerk in the office of the Deputy Director (Education) at the time of the scam, was apprehended during a raid conducted by a police team led by Senior Inspector Manish Thakre of Sadar Police. Acting on a tip-off, the team intercepted Mangham before he could escape. He was found to have misused his access to the state’s Shalarth system — a digital platform managing salary and service records — to approve multiple fake IDs for fictitious teachers.
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“Based on Mangham’s interrogation, we were able to arrest Anil Pardhi,” confirmed ACP Sunita Meshram, who heads the SIT formed by Commissioner of Police Ravinder Singal. Pardhi will be produced in court on Thursday.
Investigators revealed that Mangham, now in police custody until May 26, had been acting under the directions of higher-ranking officials. His role was to generate fraudulent Shalarth IDs using forged documents, enabling the illegal recruitment of unqualified candidates. The scam not only facilitated bogus appointments but also diverted significant public funds earmarked for genuine educators.
The SIT, a nine-member team constituted on May 15 under the supervision of DCP Rahul Madane, is currently probing two separate FIRs related to the scam. Police sources said Mangham was charging up to Rs 20,000 for each fake ID, allegedly on instructions from former Deputy Director Ulhas Narad, who is currently out on bail. Narad and other senior officials are accused of collecting as much as Rs 10 lakh from job aspirants, passing on a share to Mangham for executing the fraud.
Following Mangham’s arrest, SIT officials searched his Dabha residence and recovered critical evidence. The team has so far questioned over 30 school management officials and headmasters. Investigators have flagged at least 623 fake Shalarth IDs under scrutiny.
Another key suspect, Nilesh Waghmare, is now in the crosshairs of the probe. Described by officials as a “big fish” in the racket, Waghmare’s arrest could unravel deeper layers of the conspiracy. The SIT is also preparing to challenge the bail orders of several senior officials, including Narad, citing the need for custodial interrogation to uncover the full scale of the scam.
The case has triggered public outrage, raising serious questions about the Education Department’s oversight mechanisms and vulnerability to systemic corruption. Officials are now under growing pressure to introduce robust checks, transparency measures, and accountability to prevent similar frauds in the future.
With the SIT ramping up its investigation, more arrests are likely in the coming days. The unfolding scandal continues to expose how loopholes in digital governance were exploited to compromise the integrity of Maharashtra’s education system.
