Bhopal civic body official booked in multi-crore fraudulent payment case

Lokayukta police filed an FIR against Bhopal Municipal Corporation's Additional Commissioner Gunwant Sewatkar and others for a multi-crore fraudulent payment scam. They allegedly generated fake bills and used SAP software to transfer funds.

Special Police Establishment of Madhya Pradesh, Lokayukta police registered an FIR against Bhopal Municipal Corporation's Additional Commissioner (Finance) Gunwant Sewatkar and other officials over alleged fraudulent payments worth crores of rupees.

The Lokayukta team also conducted a search at the corporation's server room in the state capital on Friday and seized the hard disk of the SAP software as part of the investigation, according to an official release.

Modus Operandi of the Scam

According to Lokayukta police, BMC's additional commissioner Sewatkar, along with other employees, allegedly hatched a conspiracy to generate fake e-bills in the municipal corporation's Central Workshop (Motor Workshop), Water Works Department and General Administration Department without any actual work being carried out. Thereafter, the accused made entries of these fake bills into the system through SAP software, following which large amounts were transferred to the accounts of fake firms allegedly linked to acquaintances and relatives of the accused.

Additionally, there are allegations of large-scale taking commissions in the name of painting and repair works of vehicles.

Investigation and Police Action

Following the findings, the Lokayukta Police registered a case under relevant sections related to cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy and obtained a search warrant from the court. The team conducted a detailed search at the municipal corporation's server centre and seized the hard disk of the SAP software, believing it may contain crucial digital records related to the alleged fake payments.

Further investigation into the matter is underway. (ANI)

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