In a major breakthrough in the Shalarth ID scam linked to bogus teachers’ recruitment in the Education Department, Sadar Police arrested one of the prime accused, on Wednesday. The accused, Laxman Upasrao Mangham (47), a resident of Dabha, was working as a clerk in the office of the Deputy Director (Education) at the time of the scam. Mangham, who had access to the login ID and password of the Shalarth system — a digital platform for salary and service management — allegedly approved multiple fake Shalarth IDs for non-existent teachers. According to a senior police official, Mangham acted on the instructions of the higher education authorities. Following the exposure of his involvement, Mangham went into hiding.

 

The Cyber police launched a manhunt for his arrest. Acting on a tip-off that Mangham was planning to flee the city, a team led by Senior Police Inspector Manish Thakre of Sadar Police raided his residence and arrested him. Mangham was handed over to the Cyber Police for further investigation. So far, multiple arrests have been made in connection with the scam, including senior officials from the Education Department. Police sources say that Mangham’s interrogation will focus on uncovering the identities of those who directed him to approve the fraudulent appointments.