Rajasthan Govt Officer Fakes Wife's Job At 2 Firms, She Earns Rs 37 Lakh Without Working
In a bizarre case from Rajasthan, a woman has been found earning Rs 37.54 lakh in ‘salary’ from two companies for two years without working. The matter came to light when a petition was filed in the Rajasthan High Court. According to a report by NDTV, Pradyuman Dixit, a Joint Director in the IT Department at RajComp Info Services, allegedly received illegal payments through his wife, Poonam Dixit, who was falsely listed as an employee of two private firms — OrionPro Solutions and Treegen Software Limited — both of which were awarded government tenders. RajComp is a consulting organisation in the field of Information Technology and is fully owned by the Rajasthan government, which offers tenders for different firms. Pradyuman allegedly used his position to help OrionPro and other firms get government tenders. In return for passing the tenders, Pradyuman directed the two companies to employ his wife and provide a monthly salary. Based on the Rajasthan High Court’s order on September 6 last year, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) began a preliminary inquiry on July 3 this year. The investigation revealed that Poonam had received illegal payments of Rs 37,54,405 from OrionPro Solutions and Treegen Software Limited through five bank accounts between January 2019 and September 2020. The money was marked as ‘salary’, even though Poonam had never visited these offices during this period. Pradyuman allegedly arranged for about Rs 1.60 lakh per month to be deposited in his wife’s accounts as a kickback. It was also found that he personally approved his wife’s fake attendance reports to make the payments appear genuine. The probe also revealed that Poonam was receiving salaries from two companies simultaneously. She was receiving payments from Treegen under the guise of ‘freelancing’, while also being falsely employed at OrionPro. After reviewing company records and bank transactions, the ACB found enough evidence to register a formal case on October 17. Pradyuman, his wife, and other officials face charges under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, according to reports. DSP Neeraj Gurnani is currently leading the investigation into the case. Further investigation is underway and the accused are expected to be summoned in court to explain the misuse of public funds.
