Ladki Bahin Yojana scheme scam: Satara man links 1 account to 30 Aadhaar numbers in Navi Mumbai

Former BJP corporator Nilesh Baviskar has raised concerns about the mismanagement of a government scheme.

An unidentified man from Satara District has allegedly used the Aadhaar card numbers of 30 individuals to make 30 different applications in order to receive benefits from the Ladki Bahin Yojana in Navi Mumbai. He linked a single cooperative bank account in the name of 26 applicants so far to reap the benefits of the scheme.

For the alleged scam, the person has used one woman’s photograph showing her wearing different dresses and portraying her as 27 different persons to avail of the benefits, according to a complaint filed with the Panvel tehsil office on September 2.

The incident came to light when a Kharghar resident, Pooja Mahamuni (27), found her application had been submitted and approved with a mobile number used by someone else.

Former BJP corporator Nilesh Baviskar has raised concerns about the mismanagement of a government scheme.

On August 28, Mahamuni sought assistance from an ex-corporator from Panvel, Nilesh Baviskar, to apply for the scheme. At around 6.45 pm on August 29, when she logged in using her mobile number, the system red-flagged her with the message: “Application already submitted for the applicant and application number is SAKH10xxxxx56 from mobile No 755xxxxx68 and its status is APPROVED”.

Later the ex-corporator Baviskar decided to start inquiring. For this, when he called the mobile number mentioned in the message received, a man picked up and said he was from Satara. Baviskar then convinced him to share a one-time password (OTP), and he shared it.

Baviskar was assisted by social worker Kanchan Birla. They found there were 30 beneficiaries linked to the same mobile number. Of these, 27 applicants have the same name but different Aadhar numbers. Of the 30 beneficiaries listed, applications of 26 have been okayed while those of four are pending. All names have a common bank account.

The TOI report added that the fact that so many beneficiaries were linked to a single number raised suspicion in the minds of Mahamuni, Baviskar, and Birla. Upon suspicion, the three of them filed a complaint with the Panvel tehsil office. Birla stated, “The scamster changed the password after we accessed the account. Our attempt to change the password could not succeed as the OTP went to the scamster’s phone,” as quoted by TOI.

The corporator expressed his shock at the extent of the fraud, emphasizing that action must be taken against those who misuse such government schemes. He stressed the importance of addressing this issue to prevent further exploitation and ensure that the benefits reach the rightful recipients.