– Multi Crore scam by submitting fake affidavits
Mumbai/Nagpur :- The Sprouts’ Special Investigation Team (SIT) has got sensational information that the education mafia of Thane district submitted false proposals on affidavits by greasing the palms of government institutions, All India Council for Technical Education, Directorate of Technical Education, Charity Commissioner’s Office and Mumbai University and based on that they committed corruption of more than 120 crore rupees.
Sapgaon is a village in Shahapur taluka of Thane district. Alamuri Ratnamala Institute of Engineering and Technology (ARMIET) is a college owned by Koti Vidya Charitable Trust in this village. Courses like Diploma, Degree, Master of Engineering and MMS are conducted in this college.
To run these courses it is mandatory to have the approval of the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) in Delhi and the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) in the state. To get this recognition, the standards (approved handbook) have to be fulfilled. In this, reliable information regarding teacher-student ratio, infrastructure, construction area, classrooms, laboratories, Occupancy Certificate, fire safety certificate, and salary of employees has to be recorded. This handbook has to be updated annually and re-accredited accordingly.
ARMIET College is also affiliated with Mumbai University and Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education (MSBTE). To get this affiliation the university also has to provide reliable information about the college along with necessary documents. However, Koti Charitable Trust also submitted proposals containing false information and fake documents to AICTE, DTE, Mumbai University and Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education.
It is on this basis that approval and affiliation were obtained, not only that, every year the same fraud has been reported to the Sprouts’ Special Investigation Team.
Koti Charitable Trust has given all this false information in the affidavit. What is more shocking is that the top officials of AICTE, DTE and Mumbai University have checked the authenticity of all this information and documents and have also visited the college, inspected and confirmed that everything is legal.
Scam in student fees too
ARMIET is an unaided college owned by Koti Charitable Trust. Therefore, the teachers’ salary has to be paid by the management of the college. Hence, the authority to decide the fees of the college is with the committee of the Fees Regulatory Authority (FRA). A lot of false information and fake audit reports were also submitted to this committee. While submitting this false information, inflated i.e. increased employees and their increased salaries were shown and based on that increased fees were sanctioned.
‘Sprouts’ has also got the information that this college has also charged increased fees in favor of Kalashree Venkatesh Charitable Trust.
Fee proposal and teacher scam
● This trust has submitted fee hike proposals. In this proposal, the list of fake employees has been shown and it has been shown that they have been paid. In this list of employees, relatives, friends, family and many other fake employees are shown.
● In front of the names of these fake employees, the account number of Dombivli Nagari Sahakari Bank and the salary given to them are also mentioned. Also, the names of the employees who have left the job are included in this list.
● Relatives of directors of institutions have been given increased salaries in violation of rules. The team of ‘Sprouts’ has pointed out that the rules have been set on the ground during all this.
By submitting the names of bogus employees to the Fee Regulatory Authority, fees were sanctioned accordingly. Due to this, the fee-category students and the State Government’s Social Welfare Department, Tribal Development Department (ITD) and Minority Department have all been financially cheated.
How the directors did a multi-crore scam ?
● Before 2021 to 2022, the fee per student was around Rs 1 lakh. Students are being looted while charging this fee, due to which some employees and organizations have complained. Ramchandra Parashuram Yadav, Aparna Khade, Nikita Rao, and Nilesh Pandit, while MUCTA Teachers Association, Shiv Pratishthan Yuva Hindustan complained and followed up repeatedly. This made the management of the college panic.
● After this complaint and follow-up, an immediate order came and the college management made this fee around 60 thousand rupees.
● So far more than 6000 students have passed in this college. Generally engineering course is of 4 years duration. Therefore, the management has lost about 2 lakh rupees per student. Therefore, the SIT of ‘Sprouts’ has received the information that this scam is more than 120 crore rupees.
FIR filed against institute directors
● Shahapur police station has registered a case of serious crimes against Venkateshwara Gupta and Dr. Lavendra S. Bothra of this trust. The police have registered under sections 34, 409, 465, 467, 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. registered on Alamuri Venkateshwara Gupta and Dr. Lavendra S. Bothra.
● The management has cheated more than 6000 students and the government on a large scale, however So far, only the tribal department has filed an FIR. It is as clear as sunshine that the rest of the departments are silent because they have received huge money from the management.
Looting government officials
Anil Sahasrabuddhe, the then president of All India Technical Education Council, New Delhi, Ajit Singh, the then Western Division, head of All India Technical Education Council, former director of Directorate of Technical Education (Maharashtra State), Dr. Abhay Wagh and director Dr. Vinod Mohitkar, Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education (Mumbai) Deputy Secretary Santosh Taji, University of Mumbai Vice-Chancellor Ravindra Kulkarni, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr. Ajay Bhamre, Vice-Chancellor Sunil Bhirud, Fee Regulatory Authority Chairman Vijay Achalia, Chief Grievance Redressal Pradhan, Jagde, Vijay Narkhede, Awale, Rane are all government officials. For this, the management of the institution has provided financial and other facilities on a large scale.
Ministerial and political interference
● Directors Gupta, Bothra have committed corruption worth crores of rupees one by one. The corruption investigated by Sprouts is only the tip of the iceberg.
● Numerous corruption cases are ‘managed’. Sometimes ‘women’ are also abused to avoid taking action against the management. At times political and ministry officials also intervene on a large scale.
Gupta, Bothra and Arun Bongirwar’s son Piyush Bongirwar have a close relationship. Arun Bongirwar was the Chief Secretary of almost 5 Chief Ministers of Maharashtra. His son Piyush took full advantage of it. Piyush and Gupta, and Bothra have financial relations, that is why if any action is taken against Gupta and Bothra, sources from the ministry immediately intervene, and further action is avoided.
When contacted, Alamuri Venketeshwar Gupta, chairman of the trust, did not respond to the telephone call.
– Unmesh Gujarathi
