The Lokayukta Police on Friday launched a massive crackdown on the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC), seizing a decade’s worth of financial documents and server data. While the FIR currently names one senior official, investigators indicated that the probe is set to widen, potentially implicating high-ranking individuals who held influential positions over the last ten years.

 

According to Lokayukta SP Durgesh Rathore, the agency received a formal complaint regarding fictitious payments in November 2025. Following a preliminary inquiry that substantiated the allegations, an FIR was registered on March 9 against Additional Commissioner Gunwant Sewatkar under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal conspiracy, and fraud. The investigation suggests that specialised software was manipulated to generate counterfeit bills. These fake invoices were allegedly used to divert crores of public funds into the bank accounts of firms owned by relatives and associates of the accused, without any actual work being executed on the ground. Armed with court-authorised search warrants, Lokayukta teams initiated simultaneous raids at 10:30 am across multiple locations, including the Accounts Branch, Computer Branch, and Data Center.

 

The BMC main office at Link Road-2 and the old headquarters at Fatehgarh. Digital forensics teams have taken custody of data from the SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products) software used for processing payments. This data will be cross-referenced to verify whether the projects for which payments were disbursed actually exist. Initial findings point toward severe irregularities in the Motor Works, Water Works, and General Administration departments. Responding to the charges, Additional Commissioner Gunwant Sewatkar denied being solely responsible for the financial discrepancies. He argued that the Accounts Branch does not pass bills in isolation; invoices are forwarded only after verification by respective departments and are approved for payment following discussions with the municipal commissioner based on fund availability.

 

This marks the third major Lokayukta operation at the BMC within five years, highlighting a pattern of systemic corruption: June 2024: An FIR was registered against 17 individuals in the ‘Sambal’ scheme scam, where zonal officers declared living citizens as deceased to embezzle Rs 2 crore from the death assistance fund. Bribery Scandals: Previously, Ward Supervisor Deepak Batham was caught red-handed accepting a bribe, allegedly on behalf of AHO Dinesh Pal. While Batham faced action, Pal currently serves as AHO for Zone 10. Similarly, AHO Ajay Shravan remains under suspension following a bribery-related complaint.