Dahod MGNREGA scam: State minister Bachubhai Khabad’s son, former TDO Arrested

In Gujarat’s Dahod, police have arrested Balvant Khabad, son of state minister Bachubhai Khabad, and then-Taluka Development Officer (TDO) Darshan Patel in connection with a large-scale scam under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme.

The arrests come after an FIR was filed alleging serious irregularities and forgery in MGNREGA work between 2021 and 2025, following an earlier scandal involving fake non-agricultural (NA) land documents in the district.

What’s the scam?

The alleged scam took place in three villages, Kuva and Redhana in Devgadh Baria taluka, and Simamoi in Dhanpur taluka. Projects like mud and metal roads, concrete (CC) roads, check dams, and stone bunds were either not completed or were only done superficially to show progress.

Despite incomplete or fake work, completion certificates were forged, and payments were made to agencies not even involved in the tender process. In several cases, contracted agencies were bypassed, and the funds were instead disbursed to ineligible third-party agencies, many of whom never even bid for the tenders.

The scam involves 35 agencies, including one owned by Balvant Khabad, the son of the current state minister Bachubhai Khabad. Police have registered cases against all 35, covering 28 agencies from Devgadh Baria and 7 from Dhanpur. The scam has rocked the entire district.

This scam under a public welfare scheme allegedly involves collusion between government officers and contractors. Based on a preliminary investigation conducted by panchayat officials, a report was submitted to the District Development Officer (DDO). Acting on that report, a complaint was lodged by the DRDA Director (District Rural Development Agency), which led to police action.