A massive recruitment and financial scam within the Maharashtra education department was exposed by city police on Saturday, resulting in the arrest of two key figures: Ulhas Narad, the deputy director of education for the Nagpur division, and Parag Pudke, the headmaster of a Bhandara aided school. The arrests were made in a dramatic predawn raid at their residences.
The multi-crore scam revolved around the issuance of a web-based unique teacher identification number (Shalarth ID) to an ineligible individual, Parag Pudke. Pudke had been able to draw government salaries, claim five years’ worth of salary arrears, and even secure a promotion to headmaster, all based on fraudulent documents. Narad was involved in promoting Pudke based on fake teaching experience records and authorizing salary arrears, which led to significant financial losses for the state.
As the investigation unfolded, police discovered that several “Shalarth IDs” linked to government personnel records, payments, and other benefits were now under intense scrutiny. At least 40 employees from the education department, including a zilla parishad member, are being investigated for their roles in the scam.
The investigation revealed that Pudke had been falsely recorded as an assistant teacher at a school in north Nagpur from 2019 to 2023, although he had never been on the school rolls. Despite this, he managed to claim salary arrears for five years. This fraudulent proposal had been sent to Narad for approval by the zilla parishad authorities, allowing Pudke to be promoted to headmaster of a school in Lakhni, Bhandara, a school that ironically belonged to Pudke’s father.
The whistle-blower in the case, a painter who overheard a conversation among teachers at Pudke’s school about his promotion without any experience, helped alert the authorities. Investigators have discovered that money was siphoned off for various illicit activities, including posting, promotion, and clearance of salary arrears, with approval from senior education department officials, many of whom are also under investigation.
DCP Rahul Madane confirmed that the probe is still in its early stages, with further searches and arrests likely to occur. “We will dig deeper. More heads are likely to roll in the coming days,” Madane said, as the investigation continues under Senior Inspector Manish Thakare.
Authorities have already gathered critical documents from the education department and zilla parishad. Ongoing searches are being conducted to seize records connected to Narad and Pudke. Investigators are also analyzing the accused’s cell phones in a forensic lab to recover deleted messages and links to other accomplices in the scam. Police expect to uncover more details about the network of individuals involved through these forensic methods.
