Overview

• A preliminary audit flagged ₹79 crore of relief payouts as suspicious, of which ₹42 crore was confirmed misappropriated and ₹7 crore has been recovered so far.
• Complaints from farmers in Ambad and Ghansawangi tehsils led to a district-level probe established in January to examine compensation irregularities.
• Investigators suspect at least ten officials siphoned between ₹1 crore and ₹1.9 crore each while others diverted up to ₹50 lakh apiece.
• Probes have been extended to 35 additional village revenue officers under the retrospective audit spanning eight Marathwada districts.
• Officials are verifying claims against land records, satellite imagery and bank data to identify genuine beneficiaries.