‘Wealthy’ school teacher in Vig net, assets frozen

This is the first raid post-demonetization in which such huge cash has been recovered.

An assistant teacher of a middle school in Aurangabad has stumped the state vigilance investigation bureau.

Police outside the residence of school teacher at Mirwasi Tola (Phulwarisharif) in the state capital. (HT Photo)

Reason: Huge recovery from his house, which includes Rs 14.16 lakh cash, Rs 1.5-crore worth property and investment worth Rs 13-lakh.

The vigilance sleuths are stunned as how could Mohammad Shahbuddin, a teacher teaching in a school located in Maoist-affected Khutidih in Madanpur block, amass so much wealth and through which activity. For a teacher in his category, salary is in the range of Rs 30,000 – Rs 40,000 a month, depending on the length of service.

This is the first raid by VIB since demonetization in which such huge cash has been recovered.

According to sources, the teacher’s source of money is attributed to mid-day meal and various other welfare schemes of the government. The teacher had been collecting money from students on the promise of helping them to clear matric examination too.

Acting on an allegation of acquisition and amassing of disproportionate assets, vigilance investigation bureau (VIB) on Tuesday lodged a DA against him. Later two separate teams conducted raids at Shahi Road locality in Aurangabad and Mirwasi Tola (Phulwarisharif) in the state capital.

During searches, VIB sleuths recovered documents for 15 plots including seven each in Patna and Aurangabad on the name of Shahabuddin and his wife worth Rs 1.23 crore at base prices of years ago. Vigilance also unearthed three of his houses in Phulwarisharif.

The VIB also recovered 10 passbooks of different banks, insurance policy related documents of LIC, four of Bajaj, two of SBI and one of UTI, besides ornaments worth Rs 4 lakh and NSC bond of Rs 3 lakh.

According to VIB, the assistant teacher who joined the school in 1994, deposited Rs 15.58 lakh in two branches of SBI and PNB in Aurangabad, which has now been frozen.