Alirajpur (Madhya Pradesh): The police arrested Kamal Rathore, the prime suspect in the Rs 20.47 crore scholarship scam that was reported from the Katthiwada block education officer's (BEO) office in Alirajpur district. The scam involved misappropriation of funds meant for scholarships for underprivileged students.
After a thorough investigation, Rathore was arrested and will face charges of embezzlement and fraud. Alirajpur SP Rajesh Vyas said that Rathore was arrested from Pushkar, Rajasthan and is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
He had been evading arrest for a long time and the police had announced a reward of Rs 10,000 for his capture. The special judge (under the Prevention of Corruption Act) had ordered his arrest by January 11 and his appearance in court. Earlier, the Katthiwada police had charged six people, including three BEOs and an accountant, between 2018 and 2023.
Accordingly, a case was filed against former BEOs Madhulal Parmar, Achhelal Prajapati, Ramnarayan Rathore, retired accountant of government higher secondary school Chandpur, Moinuddin Sheikh, headmaster of government higher secondary school Amkhunt Rameshchandra Baghel, and acting accountant of Katthiwada, Kamal Rathore.
The investigation revealed fraudulent activities amounting to Rs 20,47,12,727. After receiving a report from the treasury and accounts department, the police registered a case under sections 420 (cheating) and 409 (criminal breach of trust) of the IPC based on the findings.
