In a significant breakthrough, the Habibpur police have arrested Monojit Barman, a 35-year-old teacher from Singimari State-Aided Primary School in Sitai, Cooch Behar, in connection with a major state grant scam. Barman was apprehended on Saturday and brought to Malda for further investigation. According to police sources, Barman was involved in manipulating the web portal that stores student data, including their bank account details, and diverting the funds meant for the students into multiple personal bank accounts.
Authorities discovered that Barman maintained 15 to 20 bank accounts in his name, into which the grant money intended for students was transferred. Additionally, it was revealed that Barman also diverted funds meant for the midday meal program at his school. In response, all of his accounts have been frozen as part of the ongoing investigation.
The scam came to light after a complaint from a student at RCA Magurpur Uccha Vidyalaya in Tapan block, South Dinajpur. The student reported that they had not received their Rs10,000 grant. A subsequent investigation found that out of 102 students scheduled to receive the grant this year, six students had not received their payments. The police discovered that the missing funds had been transferred to bank accounts belonging to hackers in Chopra, North Dinajpur.
So far, 11 individuals connected to the scam have been arrested from North Dinajpur. Authorities are continuing their investigation into the money trail and involvement of other suspects.
