219 'madrasas' in Azamgarh getting govt aid found not-existent, FIR lodged: Police

NEW DELHI: The police here have registered a case against 219 'madrasas' that were drawing government aid but did not exist on the ground, police said on Sunday. The FIRs were registered following a complaint by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) after an investigation found these madrasas were non-existent. Superintendent of Police Hemraj Meena said, "219 cases have been registered in 22 police station areas of the district."

The investigation, prompted by discrepancies found during online data entry on the madrasa portal, initially identified 313 madrasas with irregularities. An SIT investigation, conducted following a 2017 complaint to the government, further revealed that 219 of these madrasas were entirely non-existent. "Investigation was done in this case through EOW, in which there was an allegation of government money being siphoned off in the name of madrasas. Government money was received on the basis of forged documents," Meena said.

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The first FIR was registered on February 6 at the Kandharapur police station, based on a complaint filed by EOW Inspector Kunwar Brahma Prakash Singh. Subsequently, other FIRs were registered across the district, including multiple cases at Kotwali, Sidhari, Rani ki Sarai, Mubarakpur, Nizamabad, and other police stations. "The matter is being investigated, action will be taken on the basis of whatever facts come to light during the investigation," the district police chief added.