Daijiworld Media Network – Nashik
Nashik, Oct 29: A senior police inspector from Nashik has been suspended after being accused of tampering with original evidence in a fake scholarship ID scam case that defrauded the state government. Police Commissioner Sandeep Karnik took the disciplinary action against Police Inspector Ashok Uttamrao Giri following a confidential inquiry report.
The case dates back to March 2025, when the Nashik Road Police registered an FIR based on a complaint filed by two deputy directors of education. The complaint named two government officials — Accounts Officer Uday Panchbhai and Superintendent of the Secondary Pay Unit Rajmohan Sharma — as accused in the case. The scam reportedly took place between December 21, 2023, and March 27, 2025.
According to the complaint, the accused, in collusion with office-bearers of ten educational institutions from Jalgaon district, created fake scholarship IDs using the Shalarath system’s electronic records. These fake IDs were then passed off as genuine, enabling the accused to siphon off government funds meant for students.
During the investigation led by Inspector Badesaheb Naikwade, PI Ashok Giri, who was then the in-charge of the Nashik Road Police Station, allegedly interfered with the case while Naikwade was on leave. Reports revealed that Giri called for the original seized documents and the in-out register without making any official entry in the station diary or obtaining written permission.
He then allegedly made false entries in the records and manipulated documents to destroy key evidence. The confidential report submitted to the Commissioner’s office stated that Giri acted in connivance with three suspects to cover up the fraud.
Following the inquiry, Police Commissioner Karnik ordered Giri’s immediate suspension. He has also been directed to mark attendance regularly at the police headquarters.
Interestingly, Giri had recently been transferred from Nashik Road Police Station to the Sarkarwada Police Station but had not reported for duty there. Sources said that several complaints regarding his misconduct had earlier reached senior officials, prompting Commissioner Karnik to reprimand him during a departmental meeting.
The suspension marks another chapter in the ongoing investigation into the large-scale education scam that exposed serious lapses and collusion within the system.