Beed: Former Beed Primary Education Officer and noted Marathi author Shashikant Hingonekar has been arrested by the police in Dhule in connection with the high-profile ₹160-crore Shalarth ID scam. The action has sent shockwaves through Maharashtra's education department.
Hingonekar served as the Primary Education Officer at the Beed Zilla Parishad between 2015 and 2017. However, the alleged fraud pertains to his earlier tenure from 2011 to 2015, when he was posted as the Secondary Education Officer in Jalgaon district.
According to investigating agency sources, Hingonekar allegedly conspired to grant fraudulent approvals to 259 individuals and facilitated the creation of fake Shalarth IDs, the unique identification numbers required for salary disbursement to school employees in Maharashtra. Investigators claim the fraud resulted in a loss of nearly ₹160 crore to the state exchequer.
Meanwhile, speculation is mounting that similar irregularities may have occurred in Beed district during Hingonekar's tenure. Reports suggest that bogus Shalarth IDs were generated in collusion with certain educational institution owners, office-bearers and administrators. Investigating agencies have reportedly begun a preliminary inquiry into his tenure in Beed, although an official report is yet to be released.
The high-profile arrest has once again brought the education department's Shalarth approval mechanism under scrutiny, with officials expecting more revelations as the investigation progresses.
