With the emergence of 'real' Anamika Shukla from Uttar Pradesh's Gonda district, in whose name a teacher in the state was allegedly drawing salary from 25 places and had garnered more than Rs 1 crore, the issue has now added a new political twist as the district BJP MP Kirti Vardhan Singh demanded a high-level probe into the scam.
"There should be a high-level inquiry into this scam. The matter pertains to my district and it's necessary that the truth should come out. A scam of this magnitude can only be perpetrated by an organised gang and this is not possible without the connivance of some corrupt persons holding high positions," Singh told .
Sources said that the kingpin of the scam could be 'education mafia' from the Gonda district and runs at least three intermediate colleges in the district.
Sources added that there may be possibility of misusing the documents of Anamika Shukla but the person operating the mafia weilds enormous power from the district to corridors of the state capital that is why no one is openly speaking against him as he has good relation across party lines.
Meanwhile, Congress MLC Deepak Singh who had met the family of the victim at their residence told that "there is a syndicate working in the district which can manage anything in the education department from getting recognition to colleges, grants and jobs which has got political patronage."
Anamika Shukla went to meet officials on Tuesday in Gonda where she said she applied in many places but could not attend counselling and now a scam has been unearthed.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday demanded the state government should apologise to the woman who is still unemployed.
"UP government should go and apologise to Anamika Shukla... she is living in poverty and doesn't know what is happening in her name, this is a loot system. Anamika should be given justice job and security," Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.
Police had arrested a woman who claimed to be Anamika Shukla and got a teacher's job. The accused had allegedly worked in 25 schools for months and withdrawn over Rs one crore in salaries for more than a year till February last.
( With inputs from IANS )