Racket swindling govt money meant for Gen Category students busted in Surendranagar

Rajkot: The state government has ordered an inquiry to investigate the misappropriation of state funds intended for general-category students preparing for competitive exams in Surendranagar.

The scam came to light on Monday when the Joravarnagar police station in Surendranagar town arrested Shailesh Rathvi (32), a former contractual computer operator with the local social welfare department from Ratanpar village, and his accomplice, Shubham Rathod (23).

Under a government scheme, general category students are provided with Rs 20,000 per academic year for undergoing training at authorised institutes and submitting the necessary coaching certificates and documents to avail financial aid.

The accused created multiple dummy training institutes and falsified the admission forms and training certificates of aspiring candidates, which were then uploaded on the government website to gain approval for financial assistance. After receiving the aid in the students’ accounts, the culprits syphoned off half of the money. The fraudulent scheme has been operational since November 2022.

So far, the investigation has revealed 195 names of aspirants registered with just one fake institute, and the amount of money swindled is approximately Rs 50 lakh. However, the police believe that the actual figures could be much higher, with an estimated 800 or more candidates potentially involved in obtaining government money through this fraudulent means.

As per the FIR, the accused established multiple institutes, including Udan Academy, Sitaram Seva Trust, Gyandeep Coaching Centres, APSV Charitable Trust, Active Education Academy, Rhythm Foundation, Swami Vivekanand Academy, Shakidham Charitable Trust, and Infotech Institute of Competitive Exams, among others.

The FIR also mentions a third accused in the case, identified as Sanjay Dave, also known as ‘Dave Sir.’ He is an assistant social security officer in Ahmedabad, and he is still at large. The investigation aims to determine whether Dave or Rathvi masterminded the scam.

The Gujarat Unreserved Educational and Economical Development Corporation (GUEEDC) has been instructed to provide all necessary documents required for the inquiry.

A two-member committee, consisting of Vikramsinh Jadav, director of social defence, and M. M. Vaghani, joint director of developing caste welfare, has been appointed to cross-check and verify all applicants and coaching institutes seeking financial assistance under relevant government schemes. Vikramsinh Jadav will supervise the inquiry, and the committee is expected to submit its report within five days. DeshGujarat