₹40 lakh embezzled from government treasury in 5 years:Accountant returns ₹10 lakh after fraud surfaces; officials under scanner

A major government treasury embezzlement case has surfaced in Madhya Pradesh’s Dindori district, where accountant Dinesh Tekam, posted at Amarpur Janpad Panchayat, allegedly siphoned off around ₹40 lakh into his personal bank account over five years with the help of three officials. The money was reportedly used for personal expenses, including medical treatment, his brother’s wedding, and his daughter’s Chauk ceremony. After the fraud surfaced, the accused returned nearly ₹10 lakh to the government account and has been absconding since. Investigators have also found the role of three Janpad CEOs and an Additional Collector suspicious, as government fund transfers require e-signatures and OTP verification, making such payments difficult without official approval. Assigned accountant’s charge after appointment Dinesh Tekam received an appointment after the death of his father, Ram Prasad Tekam. He joined the Tribal Affairs Department as Assistant Grade-3 on June 22, 2012. In 2020, he was given charge of Accountant, after which the process of transferring government funds to private accounts began. Disclosure in Audit In July 2025, an audit team from Jabalpur found irregularities in the payment verification of the e-Gram Swaraj portal and Panchayat Darpan portal. The audit revealed that in the financial year 2024-25, ₹8.79 lakh was directly transferred to Dinesh Tekam’s private account. The investigation found that the necessary digital signature and OTP process were completed before the payment. Blurry bills and vouchers uploaded on portal Suspecting foul play, the audit team scrutinised documents related to the transferred amount. The bills and vouchers uploaded on the portal were found to be blurry, making them difficult to read. The clear documents showed money transferred for personal expenses such as his own treatment, brother’s wedding, daughter’s ceremony, and other private expenses. When the audit team requested the original bills and vouchers, Dinesh Tekam refused to provide them. Following this, in October 2025, he deposited 9.84 lakh rupees back into the government account and went on earned leave from October 12. Even after eight months, he has not rejoined. Case remained suppressed for eight months Officers shifted responsibility to each other Additional Collector Sarodhan Singh, posted in Shahdol, who was then handling financial charges, said that during the busy period of the assembly elections, he had shared his Digital Signature (DSC) and OTP in trust. Meanwhile, the then Janpad CEO Ram Jeevan Verma denied any role, stating that the clerk used to talk about getting work done directly by senior officials. Meanwhile, the district’s Guardian Minister Pratima Bagri has assured action in the matter, while District Panchayat CEO Divyanshu Chaudhary said that action would be taken first, and then information would be shared.