Malda man among 4 arrested for role in Bengal tab scam as students protest missing payments

A large-scale scam involving the disappearance of tab payments intended for students has come to light in West Bengal, with reports emerging from districts including Purba Medinipur, Burdwan, and others. Students have reported that the funds allocated for their government-issued educational tablets have vanished from their bank accounts before they could be credited. This issue has sparked widespread protests across the state, with students demanding immediate action, compensation, and accountability from the authorities. The protests have been particularly intense in areas like Purba Medinipur and Burdwan, where students have taken to the streets, alleging that the government is failing to deliver on its promises.

The West Bengal Police has made significant progress in investigating the scam. Hasan Sheikh, a resident of Vaishnavnagar in Malda district, was arrested on charges of being involved in the fraudulent scheme. The arrest was carried out by the Purba Burdwan police, working in coordination with the Malda police. Sheikh is suspected of being responsible for the manipulation of bank accounts through his cyber café in Vaishnavnagar. Initial investigations suggest that the cyber café was used to facilitate unauthorized transactions, siphoning funds from students’ accounts. Police have reportedly gathered evidence linking Sheikh to the scam, although further details are still being investigated.

Following Sheikh’s arrest, the police expanded their investigation and arrested three more individuals from North Dinajpur. Asharul Hossain, a resident of Ramganj in Islampur, along with Saddiq Hossain and Mubarak Hossain from Daspara in Chopra, were detained by the local police. The three suspects are between the ages of 21 and 25, and investigators suspect their involvement in the broader network orchestrating the illegal withdrawal of funds from students' accounts. These arrests are part of a larger operation to dismantle the scam, with police focusing on tracing the full extent of the network involved.

As the investigation continues, the West Bengal state government has ramped up efforts to address the growing concerns of students and parents. A high-level meeting was held at Nabanna, the state secretariat, to discuss the issue in detail. The meeting, which included Chief Secretary H.K. Dwivedi and Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, aimed to formulate a comprehensive plan to ensure the secure distribution of the funds. The government has vowed to enhance security protocols to ensure that payments reach students' accounts without being tampered with. The meeting also explored how schools can play a more active role in safeguarding students' payments and preventing fraud. Authorities are exploring ways to improve the system’s security and streamline the process to avoid future incidents of fraud. The ongoing investigation is expected to uncover more details about the full scale of the scam.