A cyber scam targeting West Bengal’s ‘Taruner Swapno’ scheme, which provides Rs 10,000 to Class 10 and 12 students for purchasing tablets, has defrauded 1,911 students out of 16 lakh beneficiaries.
The scam has led to 93 complaints being filed and 11 arrests so far, according to South Bengal Additional Director General Supratim Sarkar.
The investigation revealed the involvement of cybercriminal gangs operating across multiple states, including Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand.
“We found that interstate gangs were behind this fraud. Some of the arrested individuals admitted to participating in past scams, including misuse of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes and the national scholarship portal,” Sarkar said.
Special Investigation Teams (SITs) have been formed to investigate the scam, and state police are coordinating with other law enforcement agencies. Authorities are also probing whether system manipulation or internal collusion enabled the fraud.
The Taruner Swapno scheme, launched to assist students in accessing digital education tools, has become the latest victim of cybercriminals.
