A total of 11 individuals have been arrested so far in connection with the tablet scam, ADG (South Bengal) Supratim Sarkar said during a Press conference at Bhavani Bhavan, today.
Corruption in the West Bengal government’s Taruner Swapna scheme has come to light. The government scheme aims to provide tablets for students’ educational purposes. The allocated funds for these tablets have reportedly been misappropriated. This scam has spread across the state. Following multiple complaints, the Kolkata Police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT). On Friday, Supratim Sarkar revealed that the fraudulent network extends beyond West Bengal, spreading to states like Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and there is a strong possibility of international links as well. Sarkar further stated that similar scams have occurred in Maharashtra and Rajasthan, indicating that this syndicate operates in those regions too. The police are actively investigating all aspects of the case.
Reports have been requested from the education department, and a flowchart of the operation is being examined. Mr Sarkar assured that precautionary measures would be implemented to prevent such corruption in future.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is reportedly concerned about the matter today. She has announced that students whose funds were misappropriated will be reimbursed. Following her directive, the process of crediting the money back into the students’ accounts has already begun. The police are working swiftly to trace the origin of this fraudulent network, according to senior officials. Chief minister said, “It has been hijacked from Maharashtra too. It has also been hijacked from Rajasthan. It has been hijacked from other states. We are the ones who caught this group. Therefore, we constitute our SIT.
Necessary actions will be taken. This is the administration’s job, let the administration handle it. This is not a matter for media trials.” Notably, Lalbazar believes that the epicenter of the tablet scam is Uttar Dinajpur. Based on the verification of the scam’s details, this is the emerging conclusion. To investigate the matter, Kolkata Police has visited Bikash Bhavan. The team includes cyber experts. The police are trying to ascertain who was responsible for data entry and whether any third-party or external agency was involved. Investigators are closely examining how manipulation could have occurred in the integrated system for fund distribution, how access to the government portal was obtained, and all related aspects.