The First Class Judicial Magistrate's Court has rejected the bail applications of three key accused — former Deputy Directors of Education (DDE) Vaishali Jamdar, Chintaman Gulabrao Vanjari and Laxman Mangham, one of the main operatives in the Shalarth ID (teachers recruitment) scam. As a result, all three remain in judicial custody. Jamdar and Vanjari, during their tenures as DDE, are alleged to have been involved in serious acts of corruption. Laxman Mangham is accused of generating over 200 fake Shalarth IDs on the instructions of Ulhas Narad, another former DDE already under investigation.

 

The accused were recently arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and booked under relevant sections in both the local police station and the Cyber Police. During their custodial interrogation, the SIT reportedly uncovered critical information related to the large-scale scam. The three were sent to jail. On Friday, they filed for bail, which was strongly opposed by the government prosecution. The court was informed that the accused were not only key figures in the scam but also held influential positions and could tamper with evidence or pressure witnesses. Given the ongoing nature of the investigation and the vast scope of the scam, the court denied bail to all three. Meanwhile, the SIT has expanded its investigation and is now searching for retired DDE Satish Mendhe, who is believed to be deeply involved in the scam. Mendhe has gone underground and despite efforts by the SIT, he has not yet been located. 

 

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has frozen three bank accounts belonging to Nilesh Waghmare, the Superintendent of the Primary Pay Team and the main accused in the Shalarth ID (Teachers recruitment) scam. A police official said that Waghmare has been untraceable since the bail was cancelled. Police teams launched a statewide manhunt, but he continues to evade arrest. Now, the police have frozen his three bank accounts to prevent the diversion of funds.