A major fraud has been exposed in Maiya Samman Yojana, a welfare scheme in Jharkhand. The scam was discovered in Bokaro district, where a single West Bengal bank account was used 95 times for fraudulent applications.

The account belongs to Yusuf, a resident of Patagoda, Barakhanti, Uttar Dinajpur district, West Bengal.

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The fraud came to light when Bokaro Deputy Commissioner (DC) Vijaya Jadhav ordered a physical verification of beneficiaries through the Social Security Department.

The investigation found that 67 fake applications were submitted from Chas Block (Chas Municipal Area) and 28 from Gomia Block. Shockingly, all these applications used the same IndusInd Bank account, registered in Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal, under the name Yusuf.

It was discovered that all these fraudulent applications were submitted using the CSC ID 542316220013, linked to VLE Sumit Kumar from Medininagar, Palamu district. The scam involved fake ration cards and applicant names that included tribal surnames like Kisku, Hansda, and Murmu to appear genuine.

The investigation revealed that over 60 applications were filed on November 21, 2024, alone and were approved by BDO/CO-level officials. After the fraud was exposed, DC Vijaya Jadhav immediately froze the payments and ordered an FIR.

As many as 11,200 duplicate applications have been identified across the Bokaro district. The administration has now ordered a second round of physical verification through Anganwadi workers. Once verification is complete, strict action will be taken against those involved.

Out of 3.61 lakh beneficiaries in Bokaro, 3.50 lakh have already received payments. However, payments were withheld for 10,200 applicants due to duplicate applications, mismatched Aadhaar details, and other discrepancies.

Authorities have launched a full-scale investigation, and strict legal action will be taken against those responsible for the fraud.