Bihar Education Department Audits Uncover Fake Teachers and Salary Scams

Internal audits by the Bihar Education Department have uncovered major irregularities in its Human Resource Management System, including fake teachers, tampered salary records, and unauthorised portal access across multiple districts.

Three Districts

The audits focus on three specific cases in Nawada, Bhagalpur, and Patna. These cases involve alleged improper payments totaling about Rs 1.85 crore. Police cases and departmental actions have followed, leading to the suspension of at least four officials.

Nawada Case

In Nawada, an FIR was filed on October 13, 2026, at the Town Police Station. The complaint names a primary school teacher in Beladih, a portal 'Maker' clerk, and a 'Checker' head clerk. Investigators found that the teacher's monthly salary was inflated through unauthorized allowance additions. She received total unauthorized payments of Rs 10,43,950. Police also traced a transfer of Rs 1,00,000 from the teacher's bank account to an account held by a person named Satish Kumar, suspected to be the office head clerk.

Patna And Bhagalpur Cases

In Patna, a clerk at FNS Academy named Vijay Kumar Vidyarthi was suspended on October 14, 2026, over alleged financial irregularities involving Rs 76,71,983. He allegedly used the District Education Officer's official login ID to make unauthorized portal entries. In Bhagalpur, district programme officer Shashi Chandan Choudhary was booked on October 8, 2026, and arrested a day later over unauthorised portal payments made in the name of a fictitious teacher. Another Bhagalpur case involved an unauthorised payment of Rs 98,12,773 to a fictitious teacher named Tanushree over several months.

Minister Statements

Bihar Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari told The Indian Express that the state government is auditing all 38 districts. He has asked officials to finish the internal audit by mid-November and stated that the government is engaging experts to prevent the fudging of the HRMS system.

Context

Internal audits in government departments are routine reviews used to check financial records and stop corruption or misuse of public funds. The Bihar Education Department oversees thousands of schools and teachers across the state, making digital portal security critical for stopping salary fraud.