Kolkata: West Bengal’s ambitious ‘Taruner Swapna’ scheme, which translates to ‘dreams of the youth,’ was designed to provide Rs 10,000 to Class 10 and 12 students for digital devices. Now, it has been marred by a significant cyber fraud.
Over 2,000 students have been affected in what has been an effort by cybercriminals to exploit system vulnerabilities to siphon off funds. These actors, many from outside the state, have used sophisticated techniques to change information on various data records, making sure that the money which was to be given to the students went to other accounts instead. In the process, students’ records were also accessed.
Bratya Basu, the state’s education minister, told The Wire that the National Informatics Centre has also been asked to investigate the matter thoroughly. “The government has taken note of the issue where a section of higher secondary students across the state have not received their tablet funds,” he added.
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While the full extent of the crime is still being learnt, West Bengal Police have already registered 93 first information reports and arrested 11 individuals in connection with the fraud. The scam has impacted students across multiple districts, particularly in South 24 Parganas, where the highest number of cases have been reported.
‘Inadequate’ security measures
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has promised students who have lost money of a “refund”. Addressing reporters last week, she stated, “The group responsible for this scam has been identified. Our administration is rough and tough. A Special Investigation Team has been formed and people have already been arrested. Let the administration do its job.”
A cybercrime expert investigating the case, who requested to not be named, told The Wire that there were clear lapses in the system. “The security measures were inadequate, and there was a lack of oversight. It seems that many schools kept theirs students’ name lists, bank account numbers and IFSC codes.”
The investigation into the tab scam has revealed a dense network of individuals, including farmers, tea garden workers, lottery ticket sellers, and even home tutors, who operated through cyber cafes. They allegedly exploited their access to school login credentials to change bank account numbers and IFSC codes to divert the funds meant for the students. In some cases, malware and rented bank accounts were used to facilitate the transfers. Investigators have unearthed a network involving cybercafé owners, contract-based school staff, and also insiders who manipulated government portals to divert the money.
Cyber experts have pointed to glaring vulnerabilities in the scheme’s implementation. “Discrepancies in data linking, outdated computers, and irregular portal maintenance may have facilitated the fraud. While professional hackers might have exploited malware or system loopholes, the pattern here suggests errors in data entry and verification. While the government sends funds directly to recipients’ accounts, the fact that so many are affected indicates systemic issues that require thorough investigation and clarification.,” said cyber law expert Rajarshi Roy Chowdhury.
Headmasters blamed
The tab scam initially surfaced with complaints lodged at two police stations in Kolkata. Subsequently, district school inspectors got non-bailable cases registered against the headmasters of several affected schools. However, some of the accused headmasters claim they were falsely implicated for being among the first to report the issue.
“The government is framing the headmasters. We believe the scam occurred due to flaws or weaknesses in the government portal. A criminal gang was altering the IFSC codes uploaded from the schools,” said Sukumar Pain, the secretary of the state teachers’ association, ABTA.
Many of those arrested in connection with the fraud have direct ties to the ruling party Trinamool Congress, including the son of a prominent local leader in Malda, raising uncomfortable questions about insider involvement.
Slamming the state government, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya said, “Rice is being stolen from mid-day meals, lentils are being stolen from ration supplies, river sand and mountain stones are being looted – it’s no surprise that even the funds for tablets are being stolen here. To establish the rule of law in this state, 50 new jails need to be built quickly!”
Translated from the Bengali original by Aparna Bhattacharya.
