UP forms panel to probe how Pak woman forged papers to get teacher job

Bareilly: Authorities in Bareilly have formed an investigation committee to examine how a Pakistani national secured a teaching job at a govt school in Uttar Pradesh using forged identity papers. Shumaila Khan, now 43, who worked as an assistant teacher for nearly a decade, has been missing since Jan after an FIR was lodged against her. The committee is led by ADM (city) Saurav Dubey and city magistrate Rajeev Shukla. DM Avinash Singh said initial verification found the documents submitted by the woman to be fake. "A joint committee will investigate how she managed to obtain official identification and use it for employment. The report is expected within three to four days," he said. Khan was appointed as an assistant teacher at Madhopur Primary School in Fatehganj West on April 7, 2015. She allegedly used a fake residence certificate issued from Sadar tehsil of Rampur district. The education department terminated her services after the fraud was uncovered and initiated recovery proceedings for the salary she had drawn. Fatehganj West police registered a case against her on Jan 17 after local basic education officer Bhanu Shankar filed a complaint. Khan disappeared soon after and remains untraceable. SP (north) Mukesh Chandra Mishra, said police raided her known address in Rampur and other suspected locations but failed to find her. "The search is ongoing," he said. Investigations revealed that Khan was born in Lahore and came to India with her mother, Mahira Akhtar, in the early 1980s. Mahira also allegedly concealed her nationality and held a teaching post in Rampur from 1992 until her dismissal in 2015. Both never acquired Indian citizenship. Khan completed her schooling in Rampur and earned a BEd degree from Meerganj in Bareilly district. She gained her teaching job in 2015 with forged documents. In Oct 2024, the local intelligence unit began reviewing her records and found she was a Pakistani citizen. She was suspended and dismissed in Jan 2025. Her last known locations include Rampur and Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The case has prompted fresh scrutiny of the verification process for govt recruits. In the aftermath of the recent Pahalgam terror attack, authorities across several states, including Uttar Pradesh, have increased vetting of identity papers in public sector jobs. Intelligence agencies said that all sensitive appointments, especially in border districts, are now under tighter review.