A woman engineer, Payal Bansal (33), was arrested by the CID Crime Branch on Monday for her alleged role in a Rs 12.44 crore scam linked to tribal welfare projects in Navsari. Bansal, a deputy executive engineer, was posted at the Bilimora Sub-Division Office during 2022-23.
The scam involved misappropriating funds meant for tribal development under the Rejuvenation Tribal Program. According to the CID, Bansal worked with six other officials and seven contractors to embezzle government money.
Investigators found that out of 163 approved projects, only one was fully completed and one partially done. The remaining 161 projects were not carried out. However, fake bills worth Rs 9.55 crore were submitted and payments made.
The accused, including retired executive engineer Dalpat Patel and dy executive engineer Shilpa Raj, reportedly forged documents. They also failed to collect Rs 1.25 crore in mandatory community contributions from Panchayats. Deputy SP CID Crime, AM Captain stated, “This is a serious misuse of public funds.”