Janpad panchayat clerk booked for embezzling over Rs 2 cr govt funds

Barwani: A janpad panchayat clerk was booked on Tuesday for allegedly embezzling Rs 2.73 crore govt funds while he was posted at Sendhwa and Rajpur janpad panchayats in Barwani district.Sendhwa SDOP Ajay Waghmare told TOI that a case was registered at Sendhwa city police station against Pushpendra Yadav for fraudulently withdrawing Rs 2.73 crore and committing financial irregularities.Waghmare said that during his tenure at janpad panchayat offices in Sendhwa and Rajpur, Yadav used official portals' login IDs, passwords, and digital signatures to illegally withdraw govt funds linked to schemes under sambal yojana, rural development department, and other govt programmes.Preliminary investigation revealed that Yadav had committed financial irregularities amounting to Rs 44,22,000 while posted in janpad panchayat Rajpur between 2017 and 2019. Later, at janpad panchayat Sendhwa, he allegedly siphoned off Rs 2,28,88,895 from Jan 2020 to June 2023.Yadav reportedly transferred embezzled funds to accounts of his relatives, acquaintances, and certain business firms. The SDOP also said that several financial records were deliberately tampered with or removed to conceal the fraud.The matter came to light following an audit report by Comptroller and Auditor General, after which departmental action was initiated and Yadav was suspended. Authorities confirmed that a portion of the embezzled amount has been recovered.