- By Priyanka Koul
- Fri, 27 Mar 2026 03:03 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A former government official, who had previously won Rs 50 lakh on popular Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) show in 2019, was arrested from her Gwalior residence on March 26 in connection with a corruption case in Madhya Pradesh. Amita Singh Tomarwas later sent to a women’s jail in Shivpuri, with investigators alleging a multi-crore fraud linked to flood relief funds.
According to an Indian Express report, Tomar, who served as a tehsildar in Vijaypur in Sheopur district, is accused of involvement in a Rs 2-2.5 crore scam related to compensation distributed after the devastating 2021 floods.
Investigations revealed that authorities had identified 794 residents in Baroda tehsil as eligible beneficiaries. However, a subsequent audit found that funds were allegedly diverted into at least 127 fake or unrelated bank accounts instead of reaching the intended recipients. Police officials say that the diversion was not incidental but part of a wider pattern involving the manipulation of official records and beneficiary lists.
As the probe expanded, more than 100 individuals were named, including over two dozen patwaris, indicating alleged collusion across various levels of the revenue administration.
The case has also discovered several financial transactions allegedly linked to accounts belonging to Tomar’s family members. Based on this, Baroda police registered cases under charges of cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy, and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, citing misuse of official position in distributing state aid.
Confirmed the arrest, Sheopur Superintendent of Police Sudhir Kumar Aggarwal said, “The tehsildar was made the accused in this case and was arrested and produced before the local court. The investigation in the case is underway.”
ALSO READ: Will India Face Lockdown Again Amid Fuel Crisis Due To Iran War? Union Minister Responds
Tomar’s anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the Madhya Pradesh High Court, paving the way for her arrest. Shortly after, Sheopur Collector Arpit Verma removed her from her post, a day before police took action.
According to court documents, the prosecution has alleged that Tomar played a crucial role in approving documents that facilitated the diversion of funds meant for flood victims. However, her defence has claimed that she has been falsely implicated and that her role was limited to procedural duties. Her legal team argued that beneficiary lists and bank details were prepared by patwaris and verified by revenue inspectors and naib tehsildars, after which the files were sent to her for signature and forwarding.
At the same time, the defence also stated that Tomar neither handled financial transactions nor received any direct monetary benefit. It further pointed out that her name was not initially mentioned in the FIR and that several co-accused, including patwaris allegedly involved in preparing records, have already been granted bail.