Madrasa cheated of funds

■ Names of fake Vidya Volunteers used to loot `25 lakh Central fund

Funds meant for paying salaries to teachers of eight madrasas in the city have been siphoned off by fraudsters. Central Crime Station sleuths on Thursday arrested the prime accused in the case and hunt is on for others working in Hyderabad education department.

The accused swindled around `25 lakh meant for salaries of teachers by diverting the funds into benami (proxy) accounts. According to Central Zone Deputy Commissioner of Police Avinash Mohanty, this was misappropriation of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan funds for madrassas.

The prime accused, Mohamood Zubair, is a resident of Fatimanagar in Vattepally in Falaknuma. A case under cheating, criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust has been booked against him.

Mr Mohanty said that Zubair, in collusion with the staff of Project Officer, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Hyderabad district, and his friends in Hyderabad City, “hatched a plan of enrolling fake Vidya Volunteers, opened bank accounts in their names and got eight madrassas in Old City in Hyderabad and siphoned off the money. The funds were aimed at supporting madrassas that impart modern education to Muslim students. It caused damage to the spirit of the Central government providing funds to the Muslim community. The accused was pursuing his MBA."

The accused allegedly lured his friends and known persons in the name of scholarships and got accounts opened in various banks, then replaced the same with the existing accounts of Vidya Volunteers that were selected. The investigation was carried out by G. Jogaiah, incharge Addl. DCP, EOW and ACP K. Ram Kumar.