Ahmedabad: A major fraud involving forged bank challans in illegal mining cases has surfaced in Gandhinagar, with Sector 7 police booking three individuals for allegedly cheating the state government of over ₹23.5 lakh.

The complaint was filed by Nisarg Bhatt, a royalty inspector with the office of the additional director (appeals and flying squad), commissioner of geology and mining.

According to the FIR, the case dates back to May 13, 2025, when officials carried out checks on illegal sand mining, transportation, and storage along the Orsang River near Chanvada village in Dabhoi, Vadodara. Notices were issued on June 9, 2025, to the three accused under the Gujarat Mineral (Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation and Storage) Rules, 2017.

The accused were asked to deposit penalties and later submitted bank challans claiming payment. Based on these documents, authorities released seized machinery, vehicles, and sand stock in June and July 2025.

However, routine verification with SBI Gandhinagar exposed discrepancies. Officials found that against claimed payments of ₹4.7 lakh, ₹2 lakh, and ₹11.8 lakh, little to no money was actually deposited. Environmental compensation amounts were also either unpaid or unverifiable.

Further investigation revealed that the accused allegedly used forged challans and fake bank receipts, misused SBI seals, and forged the signature of a government official to make the documents appear authentic. DeshGujarat