Pilibhit (UP), May 2 (PTI): Seven women, including two wives of an accused peon, were arrested in connection with an alleged embezzlement of Rs 5.5 crore from the District Inspector of Schools office in Pilibhit, officials said on Saturday.
More than Rs 5 crore has been frozen in bank accounts linked to the accused, Ilham-ur-Rahman Shamsi, police said, adding that his third wife, a teacher, is currently out on bail.
According to the police, one of Shamsi’s wives, Arshi Khatoon, had been arrested earlier and released on bail in the last week of March. Two other wives, Lubna and Ajara Khan, have now been arrested. The arrests also include his sister-in-law, mother-in-law and other acquaintances.
The case came to light in February this year when a Bank of Baroda manager informed District Magistrate Gyanendra Singh that Rs 1.15 crore had been transferred from the treasury to a private account.
A three-member inquiry committee constituted by the district administration found that funds had been siphoned off for eight years from the District Inspector of Schools (DIOS) office into private accounts in the names of fake teachers.
Police said Shamsi, posted as a peon at Bisalpur Inter College, had managed to get himself attached to the DIOS office around eight years ago and was responsible for generating salary tokens.
He allegedly created fake identities of teachers, clerks and contractors in the names of his wives and relatives and transferred Rs 8.15 crore into seven accounts as fake salaries and payments.
Additional Superintendent of Police Vikram Dahiya said a case was registered on February 13, 2026, at Kotwali police station on a complaint by DIOS Rajiv Kumar under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
During the investigation, 53 suspicious accounts were identified, and Rs 5.5 crore has been frozen so far, police said.
Shamsi secured anticipatory bail from the High Court on March 30, police added. PTI COR CDN SHS SHS
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