Tehsildar, who once won Rs 50 lakh on KBC, arrested in Rs 2.6 cr Flood Relief scam
New Delhi: A woman tehsildar who once drew national attention after winning Rs 50 lakh on popular television quiz show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ in 2011 has been arrested in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior over alleged embezzlement of flood relief funds amounting to Rs 2.57 crore. Police took Amita Singh Tomar into custody on Thursday following the rejection of her pre-arrest bail plea.
The case dates back to 2021, when Tomar was posted as tehsildar in Baroda and oversaw the distribution of relief funds in Sheopur district after flooding. According to investigators, she, along with nearly 25 patwaris and over 100 middlemen, diverted funds by routing money into 127 fake bank accounts.
The alleged fraud came to light during an audit ordered by the Baroda Deputy Collector. Subsequent findings led to the registration of an FIR, triggering a detailed probe into the transactions. Officials said relatives and acquaintances of the accused were falsely listed as beneficiaries, allowing funds meant for genuine victims to be siphoned off.
Police have so far named more than 100 individuals as accused in the case, including Tomar and several revenue officials. Authorities suspect collusion between tehsil staff and intermediaries in executing the scheme. Tomar had made multiple attempts to avoid arrest. Her anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the Gwalior bench of the High Court, and a subsequent Special Leave Petition filed before the Supreme Court was dismissed on March 17, 2026.
Following the court’s decision, police arrested her from her residence in Gwalior. She had been removed from her post as Vijaypur tehsildar a day prior to her arrest.
Sheopur Superintendent of Police Sudhir Kumar Agrawal confirmed the development, stating that “the investigation is ongoing and the involvement of more officials and staff is likely to emerge.”
The case has been registered under several sections of the IPC, including cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust and conspiracy, along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
