Lucknow, March 29 : A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of UP Police has lodged an FIR against seven government officials for getting fake madrasas registered in Azamgarh, some of which had allegedly even received state grants for modernisation, causing a huge loss to government coffers. These fake madrassas were registered between 2008 and 2010. A home department meeting was held on December 19, 2022 wherein it was decided that SIT will be asked to probe the fake madrasas. The FIR was lodged after an internal probe of 313 madrassas, in which 219 were found to be fake. Thereafter, a case was lodged against seven officials of the minority welfare department and their aides who granted recognition to the 219 non-existing madrasas by preparing fake documents. It was alleged that the accused made the important government documents disappear to halt the probe and embezzled government funds by re-panelling the non-existing madrasas and allotting funds to these institutes, said an officer. Those named in the case were identified as registrar Javed Aslam, district minority officers (DMOs) Lalman, Aquil Ahmad Khan and Prabhat Kumar, clerk Sarfaraz, waqf inspector Munnar Ram, clerk in waqf Om Prakash and other officers. The case has been lodged against them under IPC 420 (dishonesty), IPC 409 (breach of trust) and other charges. /IANS