STF busts massive fake-teacher racket in MP:Gang sold forged degrees for ₹3 lakh, clerks cleared them for ₹2 lakh; 20-year-long scam produced 100 teachers

We received a complaint that a teacher has been working in a government school in Morena for 15 years. The degree he used for the job is fake. The investigation proved this complaint to be true. So far, we have registered FIRs against 34 fake teachers. This number could be more than 100. This information was shared by Rajesh Singh Bhadauria, SP of the Special Task Force (STF) in Bhopal and Gwalior. The STF has busted an organised gang that had been helping 12th-pass individuals become government teachers for the past 20 years using fake degrees. Some clerks from the Board of Secondary Education were also involved in this gang. They used to take Rs 2 lakh to put an “authentic” stamp on fake degrees. Now, the STF has formed a special team to investigate the entire matter. This team will verify the degrees of teachers who got their jobs using these fake documents. Government clerks will also be questioned. Documents checked in the name of digitisation The biggest challenge for the STF was collecting evidence without alerting anyone. SP Rajesh Singh Bhadauria explained, “We made a plan. We sent instructions through the District Education Officer (DEO) asking all schools to digitise teachers’ records. They were asked to submit their 10th, 12th and D.Ed. mark sheets. This helped us collect the documents of those under suspicion without raising doubts.” Three mark sheets sent for verification The STF first sent three suspicious mark sheets to the Board of Secondary Education, Bhopal, for verification. The response was shocking. Colleges also denied After this, the STF visited the colleges mentioned on the degrees. After checking their records, the colleges confirmed that these teachers had never taken admission there and had never appeared for any exams. Understand the entire scheme of making ‘Masterji’ for Rs 5 lakh in two points After the fake degrees were confirmed, the STF faced a big question: who was creating such perfect replicas of original degrees? As the investigation progressed, an organised gang came to light. It had been running this illegal business for 20 years. 1. They created fake degrees by changing names, addresses and roll numbers According to SP Bhadauria, “Just like some people print fake notes that look real, this gang was preparing fake degrees identical to genuine ones. They had samples of original degrees. They simply changed the name, address and roll number to produce fake certificates.” The gang was not limited to D.Ed. They had also made countless fake BA and B.Com degrees and had recently started making B.Ed. certificates. 2. Rs 3 lakh for the degree and Rs 2 lakh for verification The gang had fixed rates. They charged Rs 5 lakh for a fake degree and a job guarantee. Out of this, Rs 3 lakh was for preparing the duplicate degree, and Rs 2 lakh was for ensuring the degree passed verification during recruitment. SP Bhadauria said that some clerks of the Secondary Education Board were part of the gang. Whenever a fake degree went for verification, these clerks would stamp it “verified” without any checks in exchange for Rs 2 lakh. How the system was breached There are five stages to becoming a Primary Teacher (Grade-3) in Madhya Pradesh. A candidate must complete a two-year D.Ed. diploma after Class 12. After that, they must pass the Teacher Eligibility Test. Then, they must apply for the Primary Teacher Selection Exam conducted by the MP Employees Selection Board (MPESB). A merit list is prepared based on marks. Appointments are made according to merit. Document verification happens in the final stage. Fraud at two main levels The gang committed fraud at two crucial stages. They provided fake D.Ed. degrees so candidates could fill out forms for the eligibility test and selection exams. After candidates cleared the exam and were selected on merit, the gang ensured—through corrupt board employees—that the fake degrees were certified as “authentic” during verification. Teachers, gang members and officials on STF’s radar The STF has registered the case as organised crime. Action will not be limited to the 36 teachers identified so far. Three groups are under investigation: STF Police Station, Bhopal has currently registered an FIR against 8 named teachers — Gandharv Singh Rawat, Sahab Singh Kushwah, Brijesh Roria, Mahendra Singh Rawat, Lokendra Singh, Ruby Kushwah, Ravindra Singh Rana and Arjun Singh Chauhan — under sections 318 (Cheating), 358 (Forgery), 360 (Using forged documents) and 61 (Criminal Conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Large-scale arrests are expected soon.