West Bengal is grappling with a major tab scam, with reports indicating that funds intended for students under the Tarun Swapn Scheme are being misappropriated. According to sources, money meant for students to purchase tablets has been siphoned off and transferred to unauthorized accounts.
The controversy came to light during a meeting held on Monday, where the state’s Chief Secretary Manoj Panth addressed the serious allegations of corruption. The government scheme, which provides money to students in 11th and 12th grades to help them purchase tablets for digital learning, is under scrutiny after reports surfaced that while funds were being deducted from student accounts, they were not being credited to the intended beneficiaries. Instead, the money was allegedly diverted to other accounts.
In connection with this fraud, several arrests have been made. On Monday, three individuals were arrested from Chopra and Islampur in North Dinajpur, bringing the total number of arrests to four. These individuals are accused of hacking student accounts and redirecting the allocated government funds to their own accounts.
- Hashem Ali, from Vaishnavnagar in Maldah district, was arrested earlier in the investigation.
- Asharul Hossain was arrested from Islampur, while Saddiq and Mobarak Hossain were apprehended from Chopra.
The arrested individuals are believed to have been involved in hacking student accounts and rerouting the tab funds, with an estimated Rs2 crore being misappropriated from the state budget.
In response to the ongoing scandal, the state government has taken swift action. A high-level meeting was held to discuss the situation, with the Chief Secretary sitting down with school education officials from districts including East Medinipur, East Burdwan, Hooghly, Maldah, and South Dinajpur. State Police DG Rajeev Kumar, Home Secretary, Education Secretary, and former Education Secretary were also present during the meeting to address the matter.
Initial investigations suggest that the arrested individuals are part of a larger network, and authorities expect more arrests as the probe continues. The police are also reviewing whether other individuals within the education system may be complicit in the scam.
