Banka: A 10th-grade student in Bihar’s Banka district has been arrested for allegedly attempting to defraud his school by impersonating a senior education official in a cyber scam, police said.
The incident took place at Madhya Vidyalaya in Lausa, under the jurisdiction of Amarpur police station, where the student is accused of calling the school’s principal while posing as the District Education Officer (DEO). The student allegedly sought to extract sensitive details related to the school’s e-Shiksha Kosh account, a government education fund, by requesting a one-time password (OTP) under the pretext of transferring funds.
According to police, the student had gained unauthorised access to the principal Sanjeev Kumar Tiwari’s phone and attempted to gather confidential information linked to the e-Shiksha app. However, the principal became suspicious and contacted the actual DEO, who confirmed he had not made any such request, thereby averting a potential financial loss to the state.
Banka Superintendent of Police Upendranath Verma confirmed the details, adding that the principal had initially shared the OTP, believing the caller to be the DEO. But sensing irregularities, he alerted authorities, prompting an immediate freeze on transactions from the account.
The matter was reported to DSP Anupesh Narayan, who said investigations revealed that the student had acted in coordination with cybercriminals. The student was later arrested in Nalanda district.
“There is a concerning trend where criminal elements are manipulating schoolchildren and leading them into illegal activities,” Narayan said. He urged parents to remain vigilant and monitor their children’s behaviour closely.
