RANIPET: A court here sentenced the correspondent and headmistress of a government-aided school to four years of rigorous imprisonment for fabricating records to create 187 'ghost' students and siphon off government funds.

An official release from DVAC on Tuesday said those convicted were Karunagara Sanjeev Doss, correspondent, and Alice Thabitha Vijay Kumari, Headmistress of Vitva Ratna Villa Government Aided Primary School. They were also fined Rs 35,000 and Rs 40,000, respectively.

The scam was unearthed on August 27, 2012, following a joint surprise inspection by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), Vellore detachment, alongside inspection cell officers.

Investigations revealed that while the school's actual student strength was significantly lower, official registries were manipulated to reflect an inflated strength of 259 pupils.

By padding the rolls with 187 non-existent students, the duo illegally secured sanction for six excess teaching posts.

They wrongfully drew government benefits, including Rs 4,67,121 toward salaries for the unneeded staff and Rs 2,762 meant for noon meal allocations, causing a total financial loss of over Rs 4.69 lakh to the state exchequer.

Following a detailed investigation, the DVAC filed a chargesheet before the court in Ranipet.

Delivering the verdict on July 27, 2026, the court held both accused guilty of criminal misconduct and misappropriation of public funds, sentencing them to four years of hard labour to reinforce strict accountability in state-aided educational institutions.