Real Life ‘Hindi Medium’: Delhi Bizman Fakes Poverty for School Admission

New Delhi: The ‘all persons fictitious’ disclaimer was suddenly undone on Saturday when one of the characters from Bollywood movie ‘Hindi Medium’ emerged in the heart of the national capital.

A businessman in Jawahar Nagar was apprehended for his son admitted to Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri in the quota for economically weaker sections, without anyone getting a wind of it for nearly three years.

According to a report in The Times of India, accused Gaurav Goel, showed his address as Sanjay Camp, a slum near Chanakyapuri, for his elder son’s admission in 2013.

He put down his annual income as Rs 67,000 by allegedly forging his income documents. The voter cards and birth certificates too were forged. Goel had told the school that he was working at an MRI centre.

Considering the fact that neither the demeanour of the child, nor interaction with the parents — which must have happened several times over the years — gave away their real identity, it was a perfect plot. The story began to unravel when this year Goel pushed for the admission of his second child under the sibling quota. He realised his overconfidence had made him overreach.

While verifying the antecedents of the elder child, the school authorities found major discrepancies and went to the cops.

Goel was arrested from his home in Jawahar Nagar, near Kamla Nagar in north Delhi. DCP (New Delhi) Madhur Verma said they were trying to find out who had helped Goel forge the documents.

The cops found that Goel owns an MRI lab and a wholesale business of selling pulses and has travelled to 20 countries. What made the school suspicious, according to a police officer, was when he told them that they could shift his elder son from EWS to the general category because his economic condition had improved over the years.

When he mentioned an apartment as Safdarjung Enclave as his residence, the school’s suspicion got strengthened. A complaint was registered at the Chanakyapuri police station.

The police had checked MCD, FRRO and IT records which establish that Goel was earning a hefty amount from his businesses.

The staff of some government departments is under the scanner as the cops feel they may have helped Goel in procuring the forged documents. Even the address proof he furnished for the admission of the second child was found to be forged.

The school authorities have informed the cops that the child has been removed from the school.