The investigation into the embezzlement of funds under the Taruner Swapna scheme in Bengal has revealed that the racket involved in the misappropriation is connected to similar crimes involving government grants in other states.
A source said the investigators had inputs indicating that the racket, exclusively involved in irregularities with government funds, also siphoned off money from central schemes, such as student scholarships and benefits for mothers of newborns.
“We have received preliminary inputs that the racket had not only siphoned off the Bengal government’s funds for students to buy tabs or smartphones but also carried out similar irregularities in other states after hacking government portals,” said a senior police officer investigating one of the cases in Bengal.
“Primarily, we suspect that the racket has also siphoned off money from central portals. However, in the case of the central schemes, they might have used a different method and we are trying to uncover it,” he added, noting that more details were expected as the investigation progressed.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday confirmed that such crimes had occurred in states like Rajasthan and Maharashtra, where government portals were hacked.
“They have already hijacked (hacked) the government portals of Maharashtra and Rajasthan. They committed similar crimes in many states. We are the only (state government) that busted the racket,” Mamata said before leaving the Bagdogra airport for Calcutta on Monday.
Mamata promised that amounts would be credited to the accounts of all students who did not receive the money to buy the tabs or the smartphones because of the fraud.
“We have formed an SIT (special investigation team). Police have already arrested six persons and all those who did not receive money will get it,” she added.
A source revealed that the education department had received complaints indicating that at least 1,900 students in Bengal did not receive ₹10,000 each under the Taruner Swapna scheme as their bank account details were manipulated to siphon off the money.
A source said chief secretary Manoj Pant had called a meeting at Nabanna on November 22 to discuss the security of databases for various government schemes.
A police source revealed that during the investigation, it emerged that Chopra in North Dinajpur was one of the hubs of the racket that siphoned off government funds. “It is not the first time that such a crime has happened in Bengal. Nor is it the first instance of funds of the Taruner Swapna scheme being misappropriated,” said the police source.
In December 2018, Kerala police arrested Babul Hussain, a data entry operator, from Chopra in North Dinajpur, for allegedly siphoning around ₹5 crore by hacking a National Informatics Centre (NIC) website and tampering with the beneficiary list for post-matric central scholarships for minorities.
“We have not found any connection between Babul Hussain and the new case. However, we believe there is a mastermind behind the racket involved in siphoning off the Taruner Swapna grant,” said a senior police officer.
During the investigation, one of the six arrested men, a resident of Chopra, admitted to receiving money from the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana — a direct benefit scheme for mothers after childbirth.
“However, he claimed he did not hack the website but applied with fake documents in his mother’s name, who is not an eligible candidate. We don’t trust his version as proper procedures and verification processes are followed before the government disburses funds,” said an investigating officer.
The officer suggested the possibility of insider involvement, including headmasters, clerks and staff of the education department in the scam.
“You will be surprised to know that many governments are unaware of these crimes, as most beneficiaries, being poor, do not lodge complaints. The fraudsters exploit this as an opportunity,” said a police officer.
