Three revenue department employees were suspended today while a proposal to suspend a 'nayab tehsildar' was submitted to the Divisional Commissioner after a scam in the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana meant for the Melghat tribal belt was detected by Collector Kiran Gitte.
Gitte told PTI that Harisal village's revenue employees namely Sarala, Bharti and Furkunde were suspended with immediate effect while a proposal to suspend 'Nayab Tehsildar' Salunke was sent to the Divisional Commissioner.
Gitte said that more skeletons would tumble out of the cupboard once an FIR is filed against others allegedly involved in the fraud, including a bank manager.
A team of the revenue accountants have been sent to Dharni to conduct a thorough probe and ascertain the exact scale of the fraud, Gitte said, adding that he had received a complaint from some people during his visit to Dharni on January 6.
"On my return journey, I dropped in at Harisal and found some bogus beneficiaries mentioned in the complaint," Gitte said.
Gitte alleged that officers and employees of the revenue department were hand in glove with non-existent beneficiaries as well officers of Bank of Maharashtra's branch at Harisal.
Gitte said that revenue department staffers allegedly created fake cases and withdrew money in the name of non-existent beneficiaries in connivance with the bank manager and bank employees.
"It was shocking to see that accounts were opened in the name of people who were neither beneficiaries nor had applied to be beneficiaries," Gitte said, adding that all cases under the scheme in Melghat would be inspected and action would be taken in bogus cases.
