The Lokayukta Special Police Establishment (SPE) on Friday conducted co-ordinated raids at two key locations of the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) following allegations of a massive financial scam estimated at Rs 100 crore. Separate teams of the anti-corruption agency simultaneously stormed the BMC’s old office at Fategarh and the newly-constructed headquarters on Link Road No. 2 to scrutinise digital records and official documents. The investigation focuses on suspected irregularities within the corporation’s Computer Wing and Finance Department. SP Durgesh Kumar Rathore informed that a formal complaint had alleged the involvement of Additional Commissioner Finance, Gunwant Sewantkar, along with other officials, in widespread corrupt practices. Fake e-Bills and Repair Scams: The investigation team, led by DSP B M Dwivedi, revealed that officials allegedly prepared fake e-bills for the Central Motor Workshop, Water Works, and several other departments.

 

A significant portion of these fraudulent bills were categorised under repair services, a strategic choice by the accused, as repaired parts are difficult to verify once back in use, leaving little physical evidence of the graft. The probe further unearthed that massive sums were siphoned off under the guise of repainting municipal vehicles. In many instances, bills were generated for changing the colours of the same vehicles multiple times. Furthermore, officials reportedly prepared bills with escalated amounts to secure high commissions and generated duplicate bills for works and services that were never actually performed. They are also accused of creating entirely new financial heads within the system to facilitate unauthorised fund transfers and moving embezzled funds into the bank accounts of firms owned by family members, friends, and close associates.

 

The scam was executed through the BMC’s SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products) software, which was manipulated to present these fraudulent entries as legitimate transactions. SP Rathore noted that the software was used to pose these actions as part of the actual and perfect working of the corporation, making the illicit activities appear as standard administrative procedures. During the raid, which commenced at 9 am, Lokayukta officials seized hard disks and servers for forensic audit. The team has also contacted the Madhya Pradesh State Electronic Development Corporation (MPSEDC), as the BMC utilises their main server for data storage. Three employees, identified as Wasim, Sohail, and Pankaj, were questioned at the Fategarh office regarding the entry protocols and system access.

 

The raid caused a state of panic at the BMC headquarters, with a large crowd gathering near the Additional Commissioner’s office as the search progressed. The timing is particularly noteworthy as the Computer Wing had only recently shifted from Fategarh to the new Link Road No. 2 building on February 22. The Lokayukta team is now cross-referencing digital logs to identify every official involved in the approval process. SP Rathore confirmed that they are tracing the money trail through the SAP system, and those found responsible for manipulating digital records for personal gain will face strict prosecution under the Prevention of Corruption Act.