Economic Offences Wing Registers FIR in PMAY Scam Case
The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in Madhya Pradesh has taken decisive action by filing a First Information Report (FIR) against the former Chief Municipal Officer (CMO) of Dabra Municipal Council, located in Gwalior district. The case centers on serious allegations of financial irregularities and corruption in the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), a flagship housing scheme of the central government.
Complaint and Investigation Details
The legal proceedings were initiated following a formal complaint lodged by Dharmendra Singh, a councillor representing Ward No. 11 in Dabra. Singh approached the Superintendent of Police at the EOW Gwalior unit, alleging misconduct by then CMO Pradeep Bhadoria. According to the complaint, between April 1, 2023, and April 30, 2024, Bhadoria engaged in a conspiracy to release excess funds to beneficiaries under the PMAY scheme while allegedly accepting bribes in the process.
The complaint was officially registered at the EOW headquarters in Bhopal before being forwarded to the Gwalior unit for thorough verification and investigation. Preliminary findings indicate that the alleged actions resulted in a substantial financial loss of Rs 1.31 crore to the government exchequer.
Scheme Violations and Procedural Lapses
Under the standard PMAY guidelines, each beneficiary is entitled to receive Rs 2.50 lakh, which is supposed to be disbursed in three carefully monitored instalments. However, the EOW investigation uncovered that Rs 3 lakh each was deposited into the bank accounts of 13 beneficiaries through the official online portal, representing a clear violation of scheme norms.
Investigators identified multiple procedural lapses in the implementation process. Critical mandatory requirements such as geo-tagging of houses were completely bypassed, and essential official records were not maintained as per regulations. Instead of following established due procedure, payment advice was allegedly issued directly without proper authorization or verification.
Collusion and Authorization Irregularities
The EOW probe further revealed that Bhadoria allegedly authorized a contractual computer operator named Rahul Gupta to handle sensitive portal operations and payment processing functions. According to officials, the two individuals acted in collusion, systematically releasing excess funds to selected beneficiaries after allegedly accepting bribes.
Established verification procedures were completely bypassed, with no physical verification conducted before releasing payments to beneficiaries. This lack of oversight created an environment where fraudulent transactions could occur without detection through normal monitoring channels.
Legal Charges and Ongoing Proceedings
Based on the comprehensive findings of their investigation, the Economic Offences Wing has registered a formal case against both Pradeep Bhadoria and Rahul Gupta. The charges have been filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code along with specific provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, including Sections 7 and 13 which deal with public servants taking illegal gratification and criminal misconduct respectively.
The case highlights ongoing challenges in ensuring transparent implementation of government welfare schemes and underscores the importance of robust monitoring mechanisms to prevent financial irregularities that undermine public trust and divert resources from intended beneficiaries.
