Lunawada (Mahisagar): The CID Crime Branch while investigating the multi-crore Nal Se Jal Yojana scam in Mahisagar district, arrested two influential contractors — one of them being BJP Yuva Morcha leader Chirag Patel.

The ₹123-crore scam, considered the biggest in the district, revolves around irregularities in the government’s Nal Se Jal scheme, which was meant to provide drinking water to villages. Allegations suggest massive embezzlement of funds, inflated bills, and ghost works in pipeline-laying projects across the region.

Among those arrested is Chirag Patel, linked with Arya Infrastructure,  the BJP District Yuva Morcha Lunawada Taluka President who is son of sarpanch of Chamaria village. Patel has been served a recovery notice of ₹8.81 crore for his alleged role in the scam.

The second arrested contractor, K.D. vankar, sarpanch of Thana Savli village under Lunawada, has been issued a notice of ₹4.25 crore. Both are accused of securing contracts under the Nal Se Jal scheme allegedly through fraudulent practices and siphoning off large sums of government funds.

The case was registered in June when Lunawada WASMO Unit Manager Girish Agola filed a complaint naming 12 employees of the then WASMO office in Lunawada. Following this, two employees were arrested earlier. During their custodial interrogation, the names of contractors Chirag Patel and Wankar surfaced, leading to their arrests on Monday.

So far, four people have been arrested in the case, but CID officials say more names may come to light as investigations continue.

The arrest of a BJP youth leader has sent shockwaves through local political circles and among contractors linked to the scheme. Many sarpanches and contractors associated with the project are reportedly under the scanner, and there are fears that further arrests could follow.

Both Chirag Patel and K.D. Wankar were produced before the court on Tuesday. After hearing the arguments, the court granted five days of remand to the CID Crime Branch for further interrogation.

Investigators are now focusing on tracking the money trail and identifying the involvement of senior officials and other contractors. Officials hinted that recovery notices worth several crores could soon be issued to more accused.

The Nal Se Jal Yojana was introduced to provide safe drinking water through pipelines in rural Gujarat. However, in Mahisagar district, the scheme allegedly turned into a conduit for corruption, with inflated tenders, fake bills, and poor-quality or incomplete work. Sources claim that while government funds were released in full, actual execution on the ground was negligible.

As the probe widens, the ₹123-crore scam has emerged as one of the biggest financial scandals in the district in recent years, with political implications given the involvement of ruling party members. DeshGujarat