Former Beed district collector Avinash Pathak has been arrested and remanded in police custody over a massive Rs 241 crore land acquisition scam involving inflated compensation for highway construction.
Key Points
- Former Beed collector Avinash Pathak arrested in connection with a Rs 241 crore land acquisition scam.
- Pathak remanded in 7-day police custody after being arrested in Latur.
- The alleged scam involves inflated compensation for land acquired for the Beed-Dhule-Solapur national highway.
- Investigators claim Rs 72 crore was misappropriated from the inflated compensation amount.
- Police investigation reveals a coordinated attempt to siphon off government funds.
A court in Beed on Friday remanded former district collector Avinash Pathak in 7-day police custody in connection with an alleged Rs 241 crore land acquisition and compensation scam.
Pathak, a 2013 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, was arrested from neighbouring Latur district on Thursday for alleged irregularities in the process of acquiring land for the Beed-Dhule-Solapur national highway.
Court Remands Pathak In Police Custody
After he was produced in court this afternoon, District Judge Sangeeta R Shinde remanded him in police custody till May 15.
The alleged scam pertains to 154 cases in which compensation for land acquired was inflated, taking the total amount to be disbursed from the original Rs 68 crore to Rs 310 crore. Of this, Rs 72 crore had been disbursed and misappropriated, as per investigators.
Details Of The Alleged Land Scam
These cases pertain to the period between March 1 and April 17 last year, just days before Pathak was transferred from the district on April 22.
The police had previously booked 10 individuals.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Venkatram said the investigation has uncovered a "solid link" between Pathak and the other accused.
"The evidence suggests a coordinated attempt to siphon off government funds by manipulating land award amounts," he said.
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