In a major crackdown on corruption, Gujarat police have arrested Balvant Khabad, son of Minister Bachubhai Khabad, for his alleged involvement in a ₹71 crore scam linked to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Authorities revealed that 35 agencies, in collusion with government officials, siphoned off funds meant for rural development by submitting bogus work completion certificates and fraudulent documentation. The scam, which unfolded between 2021 and 2024, involved payments for infrastructure projects—such as roads and bunds—that were never actually built.
Balvant Khabad, who owns one of the implicated agencies, was arrested alongside Darshan Patel, the former Taluka Development Officer (TDO) of Dahod district. Police had previously detained five others in connection with the case, bringing the total number of arrests to seven.
The investigation was triggered after the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) flagged irregularities during field inspections, uncovering payments made for non-existent projects. The FIR registered against the accused includes charges of cheating, forgery, and breach of trust.
Opposition leaders have demanded a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe deeper into the scam, alleging that corruption in the MGNREGA scheme has been rampant under the current administration.
