Multi-crore scam detected in civic body

The Anti-Corruption Branch raided offices and residences of senior MCD and Social Welfare Department officials, who allegedly forged documents to favour certain firms, reports HT Correspondent.

The Anti-Corruption Branch on Thursday raided offices and residences of senior Municipal Corporation of Delhi and Social Welfare Department officials, who allegedly forged documents to favour certain firms while purchasing items for government-children homes and inflated the number of inmates for making bogus claims. Officials said that the fraud has been running for the past several years and could run into crores.

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Offices and residences of a deputy commissioner of MCD, a joint director of the Social Welfare Department and a resident of Jaitpur Enclave were raided. "Two cases have been registered against Social Welfare Department officials, as well as some private persons for conspiracy, forgery, cheating and offences under the POC Act," said N. Dilip Kumar, additional commissioner of police (anti corruption branch).

The purchases were made for centres run by the Social Welfare Department like Children Home, Narela, Home for Mentally Retarded, Avantika, Safety Home, Majnu Ka Tilla, Beggar Home, Lampur among others.

"Documents of reputed agencies like Kendriya Bhandar, Delhi Khadi Village Board, Delhi Consumer Cooperative Store were forged to make huge purchases of clothing, bedding, eatables in these centres," said the officer.

The officer said there are allegations that purchases were made through NAFED at very high rates by using the fake quotations of these companies. For example, Kendriya Bhandar originally quoted Rs 67 for a pyjama, while in the fake quotation the rate was shown as Rs 162. The case was the same for every item purchased so that NAFED's quotation was slightly lesser than the fake quotations. This was done to ensure NAFED pocketed the orders, he said.

Anti-Corruption officials said they had not made arrests yet. "Other methods of fraud like inflating the number of inmates to make bogus claims have come to light," the officer said. A number of incriminating documents have been seized, the officer said.