Parmar, who failed his Class 12 exams in 2017 and later worked as an insurance agent, cleared the exams on his second attempt in 2022-23. He subsequently secured admission to a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree course at a college in Varnama, near Vadodara.
In a shocking twist, a 25-year-old man from Gujarat, hailing from Vadodara, who had never attended college, discovered he was unknowingly enrolled in an engineering diploma course and that a scholarship had been fraudulently claimed in his name.
The man, Pratikkumar Parmar, a resident of Ghayaj village in Padra taluka of Vadodara district, stumbled upon this revelation during a routine visit to the social welfare department.
Parmar, who failed his Class 12 exams in 2017 and later worked as an insurance agent, cleared the exams on his second attempt in 2022-23.
He subsequently secured admission to a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree course at a college in Varnama, near Vadodara.
Seeking financial assistance, Parmar visited the social welfare department in March 2023 to apply for a scholarship.
However, when officials entered his Aadhaar number into the system, they discovered a scholarship had already been claimed under his name.
Further investigation revealed that Parmar had been falsely shown as a student at the FD (Mubin) Institute of Engineering in Bahiyal village, Dehgam taluka of Gandhinagar district.
Adding to the intrigue, an account had been opened in his name at the Kadi Nagarik Sahakari Bank's CTM branch in Ahmedabad, where the scholarship funds were deposited.
Determined to uncover the truth, the man from Gujarat filed Right to Information (RTI) applications and uncovered more details about the fraudulent scheme. Despite facing hurdles, Parmar's persistence paid off.
After over a year of struggling to get the authorities to take action, an FIR was finally registered when he sought help through the Swagat Online programme of Gujarat’s Chief Minister.
The Gandhinagar Sector 7 police have registered a case against unidentified individuals under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including cheating, forgery, and using forged documents.
Parmar expressed concerns that he might not be the only victim of this scheme.
"There may be others whose names have been misused for scholarships. This could be a larger racket, and I want it thoroughly investigated," he stated.
The incident has raised serious questions about the potential misuse of government schemes and the vulnerabilities in the scholarship application process.
Authorities are now probing the case to determine the extent of the scam and identify those responsible.
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