Rs 4.2 crore PMAY scam: FIR against 6 officials in Beed’s Kej nagar panchayat

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A Rs 4.2 crore fraud under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) has been uncovered in the Kej nagar panchayat of Beed district, prompting the police to register an FIR against six officials for alleged misappropriation of housing funds.The case was registered late on Sunday at the Kej police station under IPC sections 201, 204, 409, 420 and 34. Beed superintendent of police Navneet Kanwat, citing the complaint, said, "The FIR follows a complaint lodged by Kej nagar panchayat chief officer Ajit Ganpatrao Dhope." According to the complaint, irregularities came to light after an audit conducted by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), Mumbai, on Aug 13, 2025. The audit found that funds meant exclusively for PMAY beneficiaries were illegally diverted to other accounts.Dhope, who has been serving as chief officer since Jan 2025, stated that the civic body had received Rs 5.9 crore under PMAY — Rs 3.6 crore from state govt and Rs 2.2 crore from the Centre — along with Rs 17.2 lakh as interest between 2019 and Jan 2022. However, between May 20, 2021, and Jan 31, 2022, about Rs 4.2 crore was allegedly transferred to accounts unrelated to eligible beneficiaries. A preliminary report submitted by the nagar panchayat's accountant on Nov 17, 2025, flagged the irregular transactions and called for a detailed investigation.Subsequently, a special inquiry committee headed by the Ambajogai sub-divisional officer was constituted on Jan 25, 2026, on the orders of the Beed district collector. The committee submitted its report on April 7, 2026, holding six officials prima facie responsible for misappropriation of government funds.The accused include the then chief officer and accountant holding additional charge, a contractual accountant, and three valvemen employed by the civic body. The inquiry found that cheques carried joint signatures of the then chief officer and accountant, while several financial records were missing, suggesting possible destruction of evidence.Investigators also found that funds were transferred into the personal bank accounts of some employees apart from their salaries, raising further suspicion of their involvement.Based on the inquiry report, the district collector ordered registration of a criminal case on April 10, 2026, after which Dhope approached the police on April 15.Meanwhile, Shetkari Kamgar Paksha leader Mohan Gund has demanded a comprehensive probe into the scam, alleging the involvement of more officials and calling for strict action following a thorough investigation.