BHOPAL: A man from the bordering state of Uttar Pradesh was arrested from
Khajuri area
on city outskirts for duping gullible villagers by taking money from them under the
flagship schemes
of prime minister, including housing and constructing toilets in villages.
On April 14, a toilet scam worth Rs 81 lakh came to light in Bhopal. Toilets, which were meant to come up under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, were constructed on paper and the money was transferred to a contractor and his accomplices.
In the fresh incident, the accused got forms of different schemes printed and was charging Rs 3,000 from each villager, but an alert youth of village in Khajuri area, Rahul Prajapati, understood his game, reported the matter to police and the accused was taken into custody.
The accused, identified as Bharat Kushwah, 22, was a resident of Jhansi district, police said. He was duping villagers by charging money from them, promising them advantages and how they stand to gain from central government schemes.
The accused reportedly confessed to his crime and revealed he worked with a contractor, who was allotted the work of constructing toilets by Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) in the past, police said.
Police said the accused worked as supervisor with the contractor and knew how to convince people and sold them the idea how he could help get houses under the central government schemes. The accused is being interrogated to find out how many people he has duped so far, the police said.
The previous incident took place in Phanda janpad panchayat. Its chief executive officer reported the matter to police. A sum of Rs 80.75 lakh sanctioned in scheme for beneficiaries was fraudulently transferred by the accused.
The accused in the case was Shera Kabir and his three accomplices. Irregularities in constructing toilets were found in several villages, including Kekadia, Adampur Chhavani, Kalapani and Bhanpur. Accused and his accomplices opened bank accounts, using forged documents and transferred Rs 80.75 lakh sanctioned for 673 beneficiaries under the scheme, the police said.
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