The Balangir district administration has dismissed from service four government teachers who had reportedly clinched their jobs by furnishing fake educational certificates. The accused were identified as Sanjit Pani Mahanand, Mrinmayee Panda, Biranchi Prasad Nayak and Alma Toppo.

While Panda, a Hindi teacher at Randa High School, was nabbed on August 10 after the District Education Officer (DEO) filed a complaint with the Town police, the others are on the run fearing arrest. After the dismissal order was issued by the DEO, police have written to the banks to freeze the accounts of the fake teachers.

The DEO reached out to police on August 8 and filed a complaint against the four teachers after it emerged during verification that all of them had submitted fake certificates of their educational qualifications and secured the jobs. Panda was subsequently arrested on August 10 basing on the allegations that she was working as Hindi teacher since 2013 on the basis of a fake BEd (Bachelor of Education) certificate.

After the scam was detected, the DEO had issued show-cause notices to the four accused teachers, but only Panda was apprehended while the others managed to abscond.

Official sources informed that certificates of more than 400 teachers in the district have been sent for verification by the Education Department.