Rs 1.3 crore fraud detected in minority scholarship disbursement

BENGALURU: Scholarships meant for minority students, amounting to Rs 1.3 crore, were allegedly misappropriated and a complaint has been filed with the police. According to the complaint, fake documents were used to obtain Rs1.35 crore in scholarships, leading to a case being registered at the Central Division’s CEN police station.

The complaint was filed by Pradeep Singh, District Officer of the Minorities Welfare Department. It is alleged that 643 students submitted fake documents to obtain scholarships of Rs 1,35,73,212, including pre-matric, post-matric, and merit-cum-means scholarships. The police have registered a case against the principals of private schools and colleges, nodal officers, and students involved in the scam. An investigation is under way to determine the extent of the scam and the individuals involved.

The allegations relate to the academic years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, during which scholarships were disbursed to students through the National Scholarship Portal (NPS). Fake documents were allegedly uploaded to the portal to obtain the scholarships. The police are expected to investigate the matter further and take action against those found guilty.