Kalam for action against foundation

After the fraudulent ‘Dr Kalam Educational Foundation’ was exposed by The Indian Express on Thursday...

After the fraudulent ‘Dr Kalam Educational Foundation’ was exposed by The Indian Express on Thursday, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam’s office in New Delhi has asked the Patna District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police to take appropriate action against the so-called Trust.

Back in Bihar, 20 victims met Bagaha Sub-Divisional Magistrate on Friday claiming they had been cheated by the outfit, which, since it was launched this April, milked huge sums of money from over 700 people of East Champaran, West Champaran, Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi by using the former President’s ‘Vision 2020’ as a front.

Bagaha police have already arrested seven people after conducting raids at a makeshift two-room office of the trust-, which was registered in Motihari-in Bagaha town.

SDM Anamul Haque said: “People from Bagaha-1, Bagaha-2, Piprasi and Madhubani blocks have brought the matter before us”.

Police sources revealed that 20 schools under Bagaha were cheated of over Rs 3 lakh after the trust promised it would “revamp and augment school amenities under its so-called Gramyodaya scheme”. The trust director Dharmendra Bidrohi was unavailable for comment as he is allegedly in Hardwar and the foundation’s secretary, Harishankar Singh, is also absconding.

Meanwhile, DIG (Tirhut Range) Arvind Pandey has also issued instructions to Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur superintendents of police to investigate the identities of other ‘officials of the trust, which is estimated to have recruited the services of over 250 workers from the district to panchayat level.

“We have asked officers-in-charge of all police stations under the two districts to keep a tab on people who cheated using the former President’s name,” said Pandey.

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In Patna, the police, however, are yet to take any action, since it has not received complaints regarding the foundation which also has an office at Road Number 6, North Patel Nagar, here.

A spokesperson at Kalam’s New Delhi residence said: “We have taken the expose seriously and have written to the Patna District Magistrate and SP”. Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar said, “We will look into the matter”.