Dahod: The police have made another arrest in the ₹71-crore MGNREGA scam case in Dahod. This time, Kiran Khabad, the younger son of State Panchayat and Agriculture Minister Bachu Khabad, has been nabbed. He was arrested early this morning on the Vadodara-Halol highway and has been brought to the police station for interrogation, which is currently underway. Earlier, on Saturday, the minister’s elder son, Balwant Khabad, was also arrested in connection with the case.

The scam, which involves large-scale misuse of funds meant for tribal employment, has come to light in Dahod district’s Dhanpur and Devgadh Baria talukas. The fraudulent scheme allegedly involved fake infrastructure projects—such as roads and other public works—that existed only on paper. It is alleged that funds were siphoned off without executing the intended development work, using forged documentation.

The fraud surfaced when B.M. Patel, Director of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), flagged serious irregularities. A subsequent audit traced the scam to several agencies, including Raj Construction and Raj Traders, owned by Balwant and Kiran Khabad.

Between 2021 and 2025, villages such as Kuva, Redhana, and Simamoi were falsely reported as beneficiaries of completed projects. However, investigations revealed that little to no actual work had been carried out. Investigators have identified 35 material suppliers allegedly involved in the scam, along with several local officials.

Senior officers reportedly ignored the discrepancies, allowing the fraud to continue unchecked. In response, the District Development Officer (DDO) has frozen all ongoing MGNREGA-related payments. Audits have uncovered missing records, non-existent work sites, and widespread document forgery.

An estimated ₹160 crore in suspicious claims is still under review. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe the case further. So far, fake bills worth ₹60.9 crore have been identified in Devgadh Baria and ₹10.1 crore in Dhanpur.

In addition to Balwant and Kiran Khabad, six others have been arrested so far, including former Taluka Development Officer Darshan Patel, two MGNREGA accountants, two Gram Rojgar Sevaks, and technical assistant. DeshGujarat