Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): The Crime Branch investigating the nearly ₹85 crore scam of the PHE (Public Health Engineering) Department in Gwalior has found some crucial leads. Based on the leads, the team has started a thorough interrogation, and it is likely to file FIRs against more than 70 people, including suppliers and some employees, related to this scam.
Currently, the Crime Branch's investigation in Gwalior has identified 25 firms supplying various items to the PHE, 45 account holders, and some employees. Their roles in the scam are being scrutinised, and FIRs may soon be registered against them.
Meanwhile, the Joint Director of Finance has prepared the final report, which will be submitted to senior officials within the next week.
All about the Gwalior PHE scam
The scam stems from fraudulent payments amounting to ₹18.92 crore in Gwalior's PHE Department Division No. 01 between 2018-19 and 2023-24, which came to light on July 27, 2023. So far, six people, including two EEs (executive engineers) of the PHE, have been arrested in this case. The case is being investigated by teams from PHE and the Treasury (Finance Department).
During the investigation, payments made to 65 account holders and 9 officers-employees from 81 bank accounts were revealed, and a list of 74 individuals has been handed over to the police for action. The investigation has now been extended to include payments made in 2011–12 as well, raising the suspicion that the scam could reach up to ₹84.92 crore.
PHE department's unwillingness to provide necessary documents
Under the Anti-Corruption Act, the police need copies of bills, approval orders, and firm details from 2018–19 to 2023–24. The Crime Branch team is visiting the PHE office daily, but they have not yet received the necessary documents from the PHE Department, even after 11 months.
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