Rs 6.53 crore scam in swayam scheme: 1,416 fake tribal student admissions exposed

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

A major scam worth Rs 6.53 crore has surfaced in city, where four colleges fraudulently claimed funds under the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Swayam Yojana by showing 1,416 fake admissions of tribal students.

The scheme offers Rs 51,000 per student annually for food and accommodation when hostel facilities are unavailable in metro cities. The fraud spans three academic years 2022 to 2025 and raises serious concerns over lapses in the tribal welfare system. Following a complaint by Chetna More, Project Officer of the Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP), Pundliknagar police registered a criminal case against college principals, clerks, tribal department officials, and even fake beneficiaries.

Among those named are Syed Afsar and Khalil Pathan, principals of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam College of Management and Arts, Commerce & Science College respectively. Clerks Mahesh Padale, Sameer Pathan, tribal office clerk Avinash Murte, and beneficiaries like Sandeep Gawle, Parmeshwar Sonawane, and others have also been booked. Staff from Chetna Shikshan Sanstha’s Senior College of Arts and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Arts and Commerce College are under investigation. Fake beneficiaries: Sandeep Ramdas Gawle, Parmeshwar Ashok Sonawane, Rahul Nandu Salve, Ravindra Nandu Salve, Kailas Shripat Gawle, Pallavi Kailas Gawle, Swati Raghunath Padale, among others

Interestingly, the case came to light after whistleblower Sandeep Gawle himself listed as a fake beneficiary approached the tribal department on April 1. This led to the formation of a probe committee headed by assistant commissioner S.R. Pedhekar. The Economic Offences Wing, under senior inspector Sambhaji Pawar and assistant inspector Mohsin Sayyed, is investigating the matter.

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Same trust's two colleges involved in Rs 5.28 crore scam

In the Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam College of Management, the fraud involved:

• 7 fake students in 2022–23

• 34 in 2023–24

• 508 in 2024–25

→ Totaling 549 fake admissions and Rs 2.69 crore misappropriated

In the Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Arts, Commerce & Science College, the fraud included:

• 1 fake student in 2022–23

• 53 in 2023–24

• 480 in 2024–25

→ Totaling 534 fake admissions and Rs 2.58 crore embezzled

Two Grant-in-aid colleges also caught

At Chetna Shikshan Sanstha's Senior College of Arts, the scam involved:

• 25 fake students in 2022–23

• 36 in 2023–24

• 224 in 2024–25

→ Total: 285 students and Rs 1.17 crore misused

At Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Arts and Commerce College,

→ 48 fake students were shown in 2024–25 alone, leading to Rs 7.26 lakh loss

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How the scam worked

Investigations suggest the colleges used government portal credentials to approve bogus applications. Once verified online, these were routed through the project office and finally sent for financial approval to the Additional Commissioner’s Office. Once bills were cleared, the Rs 51,000 grants per student were directly transferred to bank accounts opened in their names allegedly with fake documents and complicity from inside the system.