Vadodara. An internal probe in Gujarat’s Panchmahal district has uncovered an alleged wage fraud in the Godhra traffic department, where government funds were reportedly siphoned off by marking non-existent or relatives-linked Traffic Brigade personnel as present on duty. The irregularities, recorded between June 2024 and February 2025, allegedly led to the misappropriation of ₹6.49 lakh.
Fake Attendance Entries Under Scrutiny
According to officials familiar with the investigation, the matter came to light after discrepancies were found in attendance records of TRB jawans deployed for traffic management duties. Several personnel were shown as present in official records, but preliminary verification indicated that many were not assigned duty during the period under review.
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The probe, initiated in July, examined duty registers, payroll records, bank statements and internal approval files. Investigators later found that wage bills had been prepared for 19 TRB jawans, but the payments were allegedly diverted into only five bank accounts instead of being paid to the actual beneficiaries.
Relatives’ Accounts Allegedly Used for Salary Diversion
Investigators found that the five accounts were linked to relatives of Assistant Sub-Inspector Samrath Nayi and Gram Rakshak Dal jawan Vijay Damor, who was also working as a computer operator in the traffic branch. Nayi was reportedly serving in an administrative role involving account-related documentation, giving her access to financial processing records.
The accounts were said to belong to close family members, including Nayi’s brother, his wife, their son, her husband and Damor’s brother. Authorities said ₹6.49 lakh was credited into these accounts through multiple transactions during the flagged period.
Probe Examines Approval Chain and Wider Lapses
During questioning, account holders reportedly claimed that the money had been mistakenly deposited into their accounts and later returned to the accused officials. Investigators are examining this claim as part of the financial trail analysis, including whether any refunds were documented or linked to an attempted cover-up.
Except for one individual, all accused persons have been taken into custody and remanded to police custody for further interrogation. Officials said the questioning is focused on establishing the chain of authorisation, fund release procedures and possible manipulation of payroll records.
A formal case has been registered under provisions related to criminal breach of trust, forgery, falsification of accounts and other relevant offences involving misuse of entrusted property and official records. Investigators are also examining whether others in the administrative setup had knowledge of or helped facilitate the irregular payments.
