Anamika Shukla' case assigned to UP STF for probe

LUCKNOW: The case of withdrawal of salaries worth lakhs of rupees from several government schools across Uttar Pradesh for many months purportedly in the name of same woman teacher has been assigned to the state STF for probe, an official said on Sunday.

"A probe by the STF was ordered in Anamika Shukla case almost three days ago. Investigations are going on in districts where cases have been registered. The STF is probing the larger conspiracy. We are trying to identify culprits. Arrests are likely very soon," Inspector General Amitabh Yash of UP police Special Task Force of said on Sunday.

Other STF officials said the probe is underway in districts of Allahabad, Aligarh, Rae Bareli, Saharanpur, Kasganj and Ambedkarnagar.

It seems to be the handwork of junior departmental staff, they added.

The curious case of the fraud surfaced recently when it was reported that over Rs 1 crore had been withdrawn as salaries and allowances from 25 Kasturba Gandhi Balikavidyalayas across the state in 13 months in the name of same woman teacher, identified as one Anamika Shukla, purportedly working for all of them simultaneously. Within days of media reports on the case, a Kasganj resident, identified as Anamika Shukla and working for local Kasturba Gandhi Balikavidyalaya, approached the district's Basic Shikshaadhikari Anjali Agarwal to tender her resignation, fearing arrest in the case. She was, however, arrested by Kasganj police on June 6. This was followed by UP Minister for State for Basic Education Datishdwivedi's statement on June 9 that the probe into the case by police has revealed that same set of documents were used to draw Rs 12.24 lakh from nine schools in several districts.

He had said the same set of documents were used at Kasturba Gandhi Balikavidyalayas in Baghpat, Varanasi, Kasganj, Amethi, Aligarh, Raebareli, Allahabad, Saharanpur and Ambedkar Nagar.

The same day another Ana mikaShuk la, a Gonda resident, appeared before the dis- trict BS AI nd rajeetp ra ja pat i' s office pleading innocence in the case and claiming that her educational qualification documents appeared to have been used by the tricksters. She had earlier passed the UP TET and had applied for a teacher's job in Kasturba Gandhi Balikavidyalaya at Gonda, but despite making it to the list of successful candidates, she had not been able to join the school due to some personal reasons.