Alirajpur (Madhya Pradesh): In a major crackdown on financial irregularities in the education department, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday raided six locations linked to Kamal Rathore, a government official accused of embezzling over ₹20 crore from the Block Education Office (BEO) of Kathiwada.
The day-long operation, which began at 9 am and concluded at 6:20 pm, was backed by CRPF jawans wielding machine guns to ensure security at Rathore’s house and that of his relatives. ED officials examined documents, bills, and payment records across locations in Alirajpur, Ambua, and Kathiwada.
Raids were carried out at Rathore’s residence and those of relatives Nitesh Chamal Rathore (currently in jail), Sapnesh Dinesh Chandra Rathore in Alirajpur and Vikas Rameshchandra Rathore in Ambua village. Two houses in Kathiwada, belonging to Ashok Bariya and Virendra Bamniya, were also searched.
According to official records, Rathore embezzled ₹20.47 crore between 2018–19 and 2023–24 through fake bills for pensions, salaries, arrears, and scholarships. The Treasury and Accounts Department uncovered the fraud in August 2023 through DDO account code 4902506054.
Police registered a case under Sections 420, 409, 467, 468, 471 of IPC, Section 74 of the IT Act, and Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Though Rathore was arrested from Rajasthan, he is currently out on parole, which the police now seek to revoke.
The investigation revealed transactions to 134–135 bank accounts — 35 of them linked to Rathore’s relatives. Funds were transferred in the names of his wife, father, and others. FIRs have also been filed against current BEO Shankarlal Jatav and two former BEOs — Ramnarayan Rathore and Acchelal Prajapati (now retired).
What’s shocking is the scale of Rathore’s assets — over a dozen properties in Alirajpur and two luxurious bungalows in Indore, along with other movable and immovable assets worth crores.
Starting as a primary teacher in Kathiwada, Rathore rose to become in-charge accountant at the BEO office, allegedly using political links. Investigations by police and ED are ongoing, with more arrests likely.
