Ahmedabad: The son of Gujarat minister Bachubhai Khabad was arrested on Saturday for his alleged involvement in a Rs 71-crore Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scam, PTI reported.
Balvant Khabad was taken into police custody along with then Taluka Development Officer (TDO) Darshan Patel in Gujarat’s Dahod district. According to police, some contracted agencies received payments from the stte government before finishing work and without supplying goods.
Devgadhbariya MLA Bachubhai is a minister of State for Panchayat & Agriculture.
In connivance with government officials, owners of 35 agencies have been charged with siphoning off Rs 71 crore between 2021 and 2024 by producing bogus work completion certificates and other evidence to get the payment under the MGNREGA scheme.
Balvant owns one of these agencies, and is accused of committing fraud in areas under Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur talukas of tribal-dominated Dahod district.
“Dahod Police have arrested Bachubhai Khabad’s son Balvant Khabad and the then TDO Darshan Patel in connection with the MGNREGA scam in the district. We had arrested five persons earlier,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police and Investigation Officer Jagdishsinh Bhandari.
In April, police registered an FIR on charges of cheating, forgery, and breach of trust against unidentified persons, including government employees, after the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) unearthed the scam.
As per the FIR, Road Development Authority (RDA) officials found during field visits that payments had been made to contractors for roads which were not laid but shown as completed on the paper to receive payment.
Payments were also made to agencies ineligible for supplying material or those who had not participated in the tendering process at all.
