The scam involves 35 agency owners who colluded with officials to siphon off Rs 71 crore between 2021 and 2024 by submitting fake work completion certificates and forged documents for payments under MNREGA. The minister’s sons own the agencies.
गुजरात: 71 करोड़ रुपये के मनरेगा घोटाला मामले में मंत्री का बेटा गिरफ़्तार, सवालों के घेरे में BJP
Police has arrested Kiran, son of Gujarat BJP government minister Bachubhai Khabar, in connection with the Rs 71 crore MNREGA scam. Police gave this information. Police officer said that Kiran’s elder brother Balwant has also been arrested in this case. Minister Bachubhai Khabar, who represents Devgadh Baria constituency, is currently the Minister of State for Panchayat and Agriculture.
Deputy Superintendent of Police and Investigating Officer (IO) of the case Jagdish Singh Bhandari said on Monday that three more people have been arrested along with Kiran, and with this the total number of people arrested in the case has gone up to 11. The minister’s elder son Balwant is also among the seven people arrested earlier.
Jagdish Singh Bhandari said, “On Monday, the police arrested the minister’s younger son Kiran and two Assistant Program Officers (APOs).” Kiran is a former Taluka Development Officer. According to the police, the accused were involved in a fraudulent scheme in which several contracted agencies received payments from the government under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) without completing the allotted work or supplying the required material.
The scam allegedly involves 35 agency owners who connived with government officials to siphon off Rs 71 crore between 2021 and 2024 by submitting fake work completion certificates and forged documents to claim payments under MNREGA. The minister’s sons, Balwant and Kiran, are owners of agencies involved in the fraudulent MNREGA projects in Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur talukas of tribal-dominated Dahod district, the police official said.
The FIR, lodged last month, includes charges of cheating, forgery and breach of trust against unknown persons, including government employees. The investigation began after the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) unearthed the scam during field inspections, which revealed that payments were made for infrastructure projects such as roads and small dams that were never actually built. In addition, the police found that payments were made to agencies that were ineligible for government contracts or never participated in the official tender process. The case is under investigation.
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