Former education official arrested in Rs 5 crore teaching jobs scam

Former Commissioner of Maharshtra State Council of Exams (MSCE) Shailaja Ramachandra Darade, a top education department official, was arrested by Hadapsar Police on Monday, 9 August, in connection with a cheating and bribery case involving 44 victims who had been defrauded by over Rs 5 crore.

Following her arrest, Darade was produced before a Pune court, which remanded her into police custody till 12 August. Earlier, she had served as an administrative officer and deputy commissioner at the education department .

Besides Darade, her brother Dadasaheb, a resident of Indapur, has also been arrested in the case. Popat Sukhdev Suryavanshi, a resident of Khanjodwadi, Atpadi, Sangli, had lodged a complaint against the duo.

Suryavanshi is a teacher by profession and had been trying to get a job as a government teacher for his relatives Pooja Popat Yadav and Nita Pandurang Randive likewise. He met Dadasaheb in 2019, and he told Suryavanshi that his sister was an education officer and promised to ensure government jobs for Suryvanshi's relatives. Dadasaheb then took Rs 27 lakh as advance towards the recruitment of the two women teachers, but did not offer any employment.

Months after paying the sum demanded and his relatives not getting any jobs, Suryavanshi demanded a refund from Dadasaheb. He felt cheated and lodged a complaint with the Pune Police.

Police officials investigating the case stated that preliminary investigation has revealed that the brother–sister duo took Rs 12 lakh per candidate for those holding a diploma in education (DEd degree) and Rs 14 lakh per candidate who had a bachelor's degree in Education (BEd), promising appointment to government teaching posts.

Investigating officer Chetan Thorbole said, “The former education department official was arrested on Monday at 4 pm and was produced before the court on Tuesday. Our investigation has revealed that she took bribes from 44 persons for a sum of Rs 4.85 crores, promising them jobs as school teachers in the education department. The complainant, who is a school teacher, had met Shailaja Darade, who was an administrative officer, seeking employment for two of his relatives. She along with her brother took money, promising jobs, and cheated the victims,” he said.

A case has been lodged against Darade at Hadapsar police station under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC.