The alleged scam is related to the education sector in Ahmedabad district.
Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, on Friday, ordered immediate suspension of an account officer under Ahmedabad District Panchayat in connection with a fake bill scam worth Rs 7 crore, and an inquiry into the entire episode. Patel announced the action in an official message which he also posted on social media.
The officer has been identified as Hardik Prajapati. The alleged scam is related to the education sector in Ahmedabad district.
Ahmedabad District Development Officer (DDO) Anil Dhameliya said that a Deputy Account Officer has already been suspended in the episode and three separate FIRs have been registered against him. Two taluka primary education officers have also been suspended in this connection.
According to Dhameliya, the alleged scam runs into close to Rs 8 crore in which the concerned officials are accused of making duplicate bills of teachers’ earned leaves at the time of retirement.
At the same time, those named culprits in the episode are accused of crediting government’s grants, related to admissions of 25% students in schools under Right to Education Act, in some third parties’ accounts instead of the schools concerned.
Between 2015 and 2021, total 53 such transactions came to the notice of the district authorities.
“We have registered three FIRs against the Deputy Account Officer in three talukas (with charges like fraud, breach of trust etc.) and Prajapati has been suspended (today) because this has happened in his section and one person has done it in three different talukas. His further inquiry will begin by the government,” Dhameliya added.
