The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Indore): A major scam has come to light in Indore, India’s cleanest city, where contractors allegedly submitted fake bills amounting to around Rs 58 crore to the Indore Municipal Corporation for laying drainage lines that were never installed, police officials reported on Monday.
Out of the total amount, the civic body has already paid Rs 34 crore, according to the officials. So far, five government employees and six contractors have been arrested in connection with the scam.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Pankaj Kumar Pandey informed reporters that the investigation revealed contractors presented fake bills totaling approximately Rs 58 crore. “An amount of Rs 34 crore has already been paid against these bills,” he said.
Pandey further mentioned that Rs 70 lakh deposited into the bank accounts of the accused has been frozen. The police are also collecting details of their properties for possible attachment. A 12-member police team is investigating other bank accounts and lockers of the accused.
Among those arrested are five government employees, including an executive engineer, and six contractors. The police are currently searching for five other absconding contractors involved in the fake bill scam.