Gwalior: Govt babu who won Rs 50 lakh in KBC arrested in Rs 2.5 crore flood relief scam

A woman tehsildar who once grabbed national attention after winning Rs 50 lakh on Kaun Banega Crorepati has now landed behind bars in connection with an alleged Rs 2.5 crore flood relief scam, a PTI report stated. Officials told PTI that Amita Singh Tomar was arrested from Gwalior on Thursday and sent to judicial custody after being produced in court.

Arrest in Gwalior after days of tracking

According to officials, a police team picked up Tomar from her residence in the Chandravadni Naka area of Gwalior. The action came a day after she was removed from her post as tehsildar of Vijaypur.

“A team led by Baroda Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Avneet Sharma arrested Tomar from her home in Gwalior's Chandravadni Naka. Tomar was the tehsildar of Vijaypur but was removed from the post by Collector Arpit Verma on Wednesday," the official said.


She has now been lodged in a jail in neighbouring Shivpuri.

Officials said Tomar had tried to secure relief from courts before her arrest. She had approached both the high court and the Supreme Court seeking anticipatory bail, but her pleas were rejected.

Her arrest follows a widening probe into alleged irregularities linked to flood relief distribution in 2021 in Baroda tehsil of Sheopur district.

What is the flood relief ‘scam’?

The case centres on allegations that around Rs 2.5 crore meant for flood victims was diverted into fake bank accounts.

Investigators say the money transfers were part of a larger embezzlement network. So far, 22 patwaris and one tehsildar have been arrested in connection with the case.

Around 110 people have been named in the FIR, indicating the scale of the alleged fraud.

The investigation is being handled by the SDOP of Baroda, with district police closely monitoring developments.

"Tomar had been absent from her duties, and a police team subsequently traced her and arrested her in Gwalior," Superintendent of Police Sudhir Kumar Agarwal said.

From TV spotlight to legal trouble

Tomar had earlier gained recognition after winning Rs 50 lakh on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the popular quiz show hosted by Amitabh Bachchan. Her journey from a television success story to an accused in a fraud case has drawn public attention, adding an unusual twist to an already large-scale investigation.