Surat CID Arrests 10 in Drinking Water Scam
Government Officials and Contractors Involved
The Surat CID (Crime) has uncovered a major scam involving drinking water projects in Gujarat. Ten people, including government officials and contractors, have been arrested for allegedly embezzling state funds without executing the projects.
Deputy Superintendent of Police, Surat CID (Crime), AM Captain, revealed that 90 out of 94 projects were not executed, but approximately Rs 9 crore was taken for them. The arrested individuals include five contractors and five government employees from the Gujarat Water Supply & Sewerage Board (GWSSB).
AM Captain explained, “The Gujarat government’s scheme for supplying water to tribal areas involves building pipelines and borewells. However, the funds were misappropriated without actual work being done. The vigilance department verified 94 such works, out of which 90 were not executed, but funds were taken.”
The main accused, Dalpat Patel, an executive engineer from Navsari district, misused his power to approve false bills and reports. He also violated official tendering rules to benefit his associates. The court has granted a 9-day police remand for the accused.
Those arrested include Dalpat Patel, Rakesh Patel, Jagdish Parmar, Narendra Shah, Tejal Shah, Jyoti Shah, Shilpi Raj, Karin Patel, Mohammad Nalwala, and Dharmesh Patel.
Doubts Revealed
Surat CID -: Surat CID stands for Surat Crime Investigation Department. They are special police officers who investigate serious crimes in Surat, a city in Gujarat, India.
Embezzling -: Embezzling means stealing money that you were trusted to manage. In this case, people took money meant for water projects and used it for themselves.
Rs 9 crore -: Rs 9 crore is a large amount of money in Indian currency, the rupee. It is equal to 90 million rupees.
Drinking water projects -: Drinking water projects are plans to provide clean water for people to drink. These projects are important for health and safety.
Dalpat Patel -: Dalpat Patel is the main person accused in this case. He is a government official who used his position to approve fake bills and reports.
Police remand -: Police remand means that the police can keep the accused in custody for a certain number of days to question them and gather more information.
