Overview

• A Bengaluru FIR lodged July 15 at the Central Division’s Cyber Crime Police Station charges school and college principals, nodal officers and students with siphoning ₹1.35 crore through forged documents for 643 beneficiaries.
• A June 17 complaint by the Backwards Classes and Minority Welfare Board triggered a Bhopal Police FIR over the diversion of more than ₹57 lakh using 972 ghost students across 40 institutions.
• Investigations in both states reveal systemic negligence that allowed fake applications to bypass verification on the National Scholarship Portal and MP Online portal.
• Authorities have invoked sections for cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of public funds in the FIRs filed in Bengaluru and Bhopal.
• State minority welfare ministries have launched departmental inquiries as the inquiry expands to cover over 100 institutions statewide.