Beed Treasury Officer Named Suspect In ₹73-Crore Land Scam

Beed: New developments have surfaced in the ongoing probe into the ₹73.04-crore scam involving illegal inflation of land acquisition compensation. District Treasury Officer Lahu Galgunde has now been named as a suspect in the chargesheet after investigators established his alleged involvement in the fraud.

According to investigating agencies, the inflated compensation amount was routed into the bank accounts of beneficiaries and middlemen under Galgunde’s authorisation and signature. Galgunde has been absconding since the scam was unearthed, and police are searching for him.

Investigators revealed that Galgunde played a key role in disbursing the inflated funds based on forged orders. The ₹73-crore compensation amount was transferred bearing his signatures. Following his emergence as a key figure in the probe, his name was formally added to the chargesheet.

Meanwhile, the prime suspect and former Beed District Collector, Avinash Pathak, has failed to secure any relief from either the High Court or the Sessions Court.

As reported earlier, Pathak has been accused of issuing 154 backdated, forged orders following his transfer to inflate compensation claims up to ₹310 crore. He has been denied relief by both the High Court and the District Court. His legal troubles mounted after handwriting experts confirmed that the signatures on the fraudulent documents belonged to him.

The multi-crore scam involves Pathak and several other officials, including five lawyers, two revenue assistants and three contractual employees.