BJP questions Chief Minister Vijay over ₹22-crore theft from panchayat accounts

The BJP demanded answers from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay on 10 November over the theft of ₹22.10 crore from the bank accounts of three panchayat unions, Hindustan Times and India Today reported. “Where is CM Vijay,” the party asked.

The money was taken online from accounts that the panchayat unions, which come under the State’s Rural Development Department, use for government funds, the Tamil daily Daily Thanthi reported.

Where the money went

According to Daily Thanthi, the losses were:

• Mandapam panchayat union, Ramanathapuram district: ₹14 crore
• Tambaram panchayat union: ₹5 crore
• Nagai panchayat union: ₹3.10 crore

A first inquiry by cyber crime police found that the fraud may have been carried out from Nigeria, the paper reported. The Chennai Cyber Crime police are investigating where the money was moved and whether it can be recovered, and Rural Development Department officials are also being questioned.

No arrests had been reported by the evening of 10 November, and the reports did not name the banks involved.

Why it matters

Online fraud in India has mostly hit individuals and companies. This case shows that government accounts can be targets too. Daily Thanthi also pointed to a recent case in which ₹8.5 crore went missing from the account of a government college in Puducherry.

The State government’s response to the BJP’s criticism was not available when this story was published.