Primary school teacher arrested from Cooch Behar in tab scam case

MP, 17 Nov 2024, Cooch Behar/ Malda: A primary school teacher from Dinhata has been arrested by the Malda Police Cyber Crime Team in connection with the tab corruption case, sparking a stir in the local community. 

The accused, Manojit Barman, is a teacher at Sitai Singimari State Plant Primary School in Cooch Behar and is facing allegations of involvement in cyber-related corruption. According to sources from the local and Dinhata police, the Malda Cyber Crime team raided Barman’s residence in the Madar Lane area of Dinhata town and arrested him. 

He was subsequently taken to Malda for further investigation. Following the arrest, tensions escalated, with Barman’s family denying the allegations. His brother, Bishwajit Barman, stated: “My brother is not the accused. This incident occurred because his IP address was hacked.”

Sources within the Dinhata Police department have revealed that Barman is already facing multiple charges, including money laundering and corruption related to the school’s mid-day meal scheme. 

Manojit Barman has been teaching at the Sitai Singimari State Plant Primary School in Cooch Behar for the past eight years. During initial police questioning, Manojit Barman reportedly opened at least 20 bank accounts in his own name across various banks. 

He used eight of these accounts to illegally siphon off funds allocated for the distribution of tablets under ‘Taruner Swapno’ scheme intended for students’ benefits. 

Barman allegedly hacked into the education portal and replaced the student bank account details with his own, thereby diverting the money into his personal accounts. The police produced the accused in Malda District Court which has remanded him in police custody till November 26. 

The investigation is ongoing and authorities are looking into whether Barman has been involved in similar fraudulent activities over the years. 

Pradeep Kumar Yadav, Superintendent of Police Malda, said: “The case of Kendpukur High School of Habibpur has been taken over by the CID while the other two cases regarding Harishchandrapur and Gazole based schools remain with the district police.” 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/primary-school-teacher-arrested-from-cooch-behar-in-tab-scam-case-587179