Mumbai: A year on, teacher with fake B.Ed. degree ‘untraceable’

Bhavya Bandrekar, a Kandivli resident who teaches at Chandulal Nanavati Vinay Mandir in Vile Parle

A year on, a Kandivli-based teacher who had bought her Bachelors of Education (B.Ed.) degree from one of the touts exposed by mid-day is untraceable. Santacruz cops investigating the case have informed this to the zonal deputy commissioner of police.

mid-day had exposed on March 2 coaching centres that were selling B.Ed. degrees to people who never had to attend classes. In another report, on March 4, mid-day exposed Bhavya Bandrekar who was then teaching English and History at Chandulal Nanavati Vinay Mandir, Vile Parle. She was employed there in 2007 and continues to be associated with the school, said sources.

Bought degree in 2018

Bandrekar had purchased her B.Ed. degree in 2018 from Aristo Academy in Kalina, which had helped her enrol at Irene Institute of Education in Kalyan. However, it was declared null and void in October 2019 when a Maharashtra State Board (MSB) official informed the Mumbai University about the scam. But she continued to teach at the school.

Santacruz police had registered a case against Bandrekar under Sections 468 (forgery), 471 (using as genuine a forged) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the IPC, in 2019. They filed the case after a complaint from Bandrekar's colleague Manjitsinh Chauhan and Dr Swati Khaire, MSB's chief moderator (English) and Questionnaire Committee chairman.

Speaking to mid-day, Chauhan asked, "How can a teacher, who has been regularly going to school, be untraceable?"

'Just an eyewash'

"Police mentioned in the report that after filing the FIR against Bandrekar, they called us to collect evidence, but they didn't," he said.

"The report also mentions that police are looking for her residential address to complete their investigation. This is nothing but an eyewash," Chauhan said, adding that they have filed an RTI seeking updates on the investigation.

Santacruz police on February 23 wrote to the school for Bandrekar's payment bill, salary slip and service book. "What is the use of these documents if police haven't asked the school to submit the teachers attendance register? The attendance register of the school and Irene Institute will help police in the probe, but they have not asked for those," he said.

Police said their investigation in the case is still underway.