Rs 8 crore wheat scam: Suspended IAS officer Nirmala Meena surrenders before ACB

Jaipur: Suspended IAS officer Nirmala Meena surrendered before the Rajasthan anti-corruption bureau (ACB) on Wednesday  in connection with the alleged embezzlement of about 35,000 quintal of wheat worth nearly Rs 8 crore which which she allegedly sold to the flour mills in open market instead of allotting the same to ration dealers. The IAS officer was evading arrest since the ACB booked her. After her anticipatory bail application was rejected by the Supreme Court recently, the ACB had stepped up its efforts to find her. Nirmala Meena came to the ACB headquarters in Jodhpur and turned herself in.

Senior ACB officials said that an FIR had been registered against Nirmala Meena and her husband when the ACB raids unearthed moveable and immovable properties worth Rs 12 crore.

The then DSO of Jodhpur, Nirmala Meena is accused of generating a false demand by showing an addition of 33,000 beneficiary families. For this, she allegedly provided commissions to ration dealers, who have admitted the same in court during recording of their statements, an ACB officer said. Apart from Meena, there are three accused in the case including a flour mill owner Swaroop Singh, contractor of DSO Suresh Upadhyay and clerk of DSO Ashok Paliwal. Swaroop Singh was arrested.

“We had been carrying out searches after her anticipatory bail application was rejected,” said an ACB officer.

Nirmala Meena allegedly bought flats, houses and land in Jodhpur, Jaipur and Bikaner.

The department of personnel, Rajasthan had suspended Nirmala Meena, RAS officer Jagmohan Singh and three others when their names cropped up during the ACB investigation into the scam.

Nirmala Meena is a promote IAS officer. She was posted as DSO Jodhpur six times during her tenure as an administrative officer.

Jagmohan Singh has been deputed in Udaipur since June, 2002. According to the suspension orders issued by the DoP, there were several complaints against the two officers.