‘KBC’ fame woman tehsildar arrested in ₹2.5 crore flood relief scam in MP’s Sheopur
A woman tehsildar who gained recognition after appearing on the popular TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati has been arrested for her alleged role in a flood relief scam in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district, officials said.
The accused, Amita Singh Tomar, was arrested from Gwalior on Thursday in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the 2021 flood relief distribution in Baroda tehsil of Sheopur. She was later produced before a court in Sheopur and sent to a women’s jail in neighbouring Shivpuri district.
Sheopur Superintendent of Police Sudheer Agarwal said that irregularities in the distribution of relief funds had come to light earlier, prompting an investigation by the SDOP of Baroda. “The then tehsildar, Amita Singh Tomar, was also named as an accused, and the allegations against her were found to be substantial during the inquiry,” he said.
According to police, Tomar had been absent from duty, after which a team traced her whereabouts and arrested her in Gwalior. Following her arrest, she was presented before the court and subsequently remanded to judicial custody.
Officials added that Tomar had approached both the High Court and the Supreme Court seeking anticipatory bail, but her pleas were rejected.
The scam, estimated at around ₹2.5 crore, allegedly involved diverting flood relief funds into fake bank accounts. An audit flagged the irregularities, leading to a detailed investigation. So far, police have identified 110 accused, including a tehsildar and 25 patwaris. Authorities have arrested the tehsildar and 22 patwaris so far, and further investigation is ongoing.
