Former govt official & KBC participant held in MP flood relief ‘scam’

Bhopal: A former Madhya Pradesh revenue officer, who had appeared in popular game show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati' and won Rs 50 lakh, was arrested on Thursday from her Gwalior residence with an alleged Rs 2.57 crore flood relief scam in Sheopur district.The arrest came a day after Amita Singh Tomar was removed as tehsildar of Vijaypur in connection with the alleged scam.She was produced before a court, which remanded her in a women's jail in Shivpuri. The case pertains to alleged irregularities in the distribution of funds for flood relief in the Baroda area of Sheopur in 2021. Officials said funds meant for 794 beneficiaries were diverted to 127 fake beneficiaries, adding that some of these accounts belonged to people living outside the area.Police said Tomar misused her powers as a drawing and disbursing officer (DDO) to approve payments to these ineligible accounts. She is also alleged to have received kickbacks in return for clearing these payments.Tomar had filed for anticipatory bail in a trial court, Madhya Pradesh High Court and even the Supreme Court, but did not get relief.The case was initially registered against six patwaris (govt officials who keep land ownership records). During investigation, the number of accused in the alleged scam went up to 110, including 22 patwaris.