Himachal student's Rs 3.5cr defence grant claim fake; fraud, hostel fall under probe
Shimla: A claimed Rs 3.5 crore defence grant awarded to a Hamirpur polytechnic student in Himachal Pradesh for developing an indigenous drone has turned out to be fake, with police investigation pointing towards online fraud.
The revelation comes after Sarvesh Sharma , a fifth-semester computer engineering student at Government Polytechnic College, Hamirpur, sustained injuries after falling from the third floor of his college hostel on Oct 29. Sharma is currently recovering at PGIMER, Chandigarh.
A police team inspected the hostel room on Oct 30 and questioned staff and students. Investigators are probing whether Sharma’s fall was accidental or involved foul play. However, police have not established any link between the fall and the fake grant so far.
According to police, fraudsters allegedly tricked Sharma via digital communications into believing that a Rs 3.5 crore grant had been approved for his drone project, ‘Rudra Edge T-1 (Spectra)’, under the Defence Innovation Organisation’s (DIO) Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative. However, the DIO confirmed its records show no grant sanctioned to Sharma or any affiliated startup. The ministry of defence has also denied releasing any funds.
Following a complaint by college principal Chandra Shekhar, police have registered an FIR for cheating and forgery with an intent to cheat at Sadar police station, Hamirpur, under Sections 318(2), 319 and 336(3) of BNS and Sections 66C and 66D of Information Technology Act. The principal said the institution had received emails purportedly from defence authorities and the student had shown documents claiming to be from the ministry.
The purported grant attracted attention in Sept, with the student’s claimed achievement publicised by the college and details appearing on the governor’s secretariat website. Governor Kavinder Gupta had also felicitated Sharma.
The claim unravelled after the Indian Army sought verification of the grant on Oct 15 and requested student records on Oct 27. iDEX officially denied the claims on Oct 28.
The revelation comes after Sarvesh Sharma , a fifth-semester computer engineering student at Government Polytechnic College, Hamirpur, sustained injuries after falling from the third floor of his college hostel on Oct 29. Sharma is currently recovering at PGIMER, Chandigarh.
A police team inspected the hostel room on Oct 30 and questioned staff and students. Investigators are probing whether Sharma’s fall was accidental or involved foul play. However, police have not established any link between the fall and the fake grant so far.
According to police, fraudsters allegedly tricked Sharma via digital communications into believing that a Rs 3.5 crore grant had been approved for his drone project, ‘Rudra Edge T-1 (Spectra)’, under the Defence Innovation Organisation’s (DIO) Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative. However, the DIO confirmed its records show no grant sanctioned to Sharma or any affiliated startup. The ministry of defence has also denied releasing any funds.
Following a complaint by college principal Chandra Shekhar, police have registered an FIR for cheating and forgery with an intent to cheat at Sadar police station, Hamirpur, under Sections 318(2), 319 and 336(3) of BNS and Sections 66C and 66D of Information Technology Act. The principal said the institution had received emails purportedly from defence authorities and the student had shown documents claiming to be from the ministry.
The purported grant attracted attention in Sept, with the student’s claimed achievement publicised by the college and details appearing on the governor’s secretariat website. Governor Kavinder Gupta had also felicitated Sharma.
The claim unravelled after the Indian Army sought verification of the grant on Oct 15 and requested student records on Oct 27. iDEX officially denied the claims on Oct 28.
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