Navi Mumbai: A fraud involving the Central Government's Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for minority students has come to light in Nerul, where an unidentified individual allegedly created a fake institutional account using the UDISE code of Ryan International School and fraudulently obtained scholarship funds worth Rs 96,300 by submitting applications in the names of nine fictitious students.
Police Register Case Against Accused Sameerkumar
Based on a complaint lodged by Vijaykumar Sonawane, In-charge Deputy Education Officer, Education Officer (Planning) Office, Thane Zilla Parishad, Nerul Police have registered a case against a person identified as Sameerkumar, whose full name and address are yet to be ascertained. The accused has been booked under Sections 420, 465, 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code, along with Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
According to the complaint, the Central Government's Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme is intended to support the educational development of students belonging to religious minority communities studying from Classes I to X. The fraud surfaced following directions issued by the Directorate of Education (Planning), Maharashtra State, Pune, which had received information regarding alleged irregularities in the implementation of the scheme.
Education Department Orders Physical Verification of Five Schools
Acting on a communication dated June 26, 2025, the Education Department ordered verification of scholarship beneficiaries for the academic years 2021-22 and 2022-23. A committee headed by then Education Officer (Planning) Bhavana Rajnor conducted physical inspections of five schools in Thane district to verify the authenticity of students who had received scholarships under the scheme.
During the inspection of Ryan International School, located in Sector 19A, Nerul, investigators discovered that an individual identified as Sameerkumar had allegedly misused the school's official UDISE code on the National Scholarship Portal. The accused allegedly created a fake user account and falsely projected himself as the school's Head of Institution (HOI) and Institute Nodal Officer (INO) to gain access to the scholarship system.
Nine Fictitious Students Named in Fraudulent Applications
The inquiry revealed that scholarship applications were submitted in the names of nine non-existent students — Alam Khatun, Majpur Rehman, Gobinda Kumar Singh, Tulbuli Singh, Rita Singh, Bibak Bebnath, Sultana Yasmin, Fatma Yasmin and Husnara Banu. Using these fabricated identities, the accused allegedly secured scholarship payments amounting to Rs 96,300, which were credited to bank accounts opened in the names of the purported beneficiaries.
"During the verification process, it was found that the beneficiaries shown in the scholarship records did not exist in the school. The accused had allegedly created unauthorized credentials and misused the institution's UDISE code to obtain government funds through fraudulent applications," an official said.
Education Officer Authorizes Police Complaint on Behalf of Government
Following the findings of the inspection committee, the Education Officer (Planning), Thane Zilla Parishad, authorised the filing of a police complaint on behalf of the Government.
A police officer from Nerul Police Station said that efforts are underway to trace the accused and examine the digital and banking trail linked to the fraudulent transactions. Investigators are also probing whether similar frauds have been committed using the credentials of other educational institutions and whether additional persons were involved in the scheme.
The investigation is being carried out under the supervision of senior police officers.
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