In one of the biggest corruption scandals linked to the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has unearthed a ₹575 crore scam in Korba district of Chhattisgarh. The extensive investigation has revealed how senior government officers, contractors, and politically backed middlemen manipulated tendering procedures and misused public funds intended for village development.
The scam has been exposed through a 6,000-page chargesheet presented by the ACB in the Raipur Court, indicating that corruption was deeply institutionalized, with commissions fixed at every bureaucratic level.
How the DMF Fund Was Misused: Fake Projects and Inflated Tenders
At the heart of the scam lies the manipulation of DMF rules to accommodate arbitrary projects—from agricultural tools to sports and medical equipment—rather than the originally sanctioned development works. These categories were deliberately introduced to bypass pre-approved plans and enable inflated tenders, allowing bribes to be funneled under the guise of material procurement.
The scam revolved around passing expensive tenders and collecting maximum commission from each stage of fund disbursal. Funds meant for essential rural infrastructure were systematically diverted, raising serious concerns about governance in tribal and underdeveloped areas.
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Commission Syndicate: Fixed Percentages from Collector to Sub Engineer
The investigation revealed a well-organized commission-sharing structure:
- Collector (Ranu Sahu) – 40%
- District CEO – 5%
- SDO – 3%
- Sub Engineer – 2%
According to the arrested officers Bhuvaneshwar Singh Raj and Bharosa Ram Thakur, these percentages were standard across all fraudulent projects. The entire setup operated like a corporate corruption chain, where the higher the rank, the greater the cut.
Ranu Sahu, the former Collector of Korba, allegedly led the operation in coordination with coal trader Suryakant Tiwari and senior officer Maya Warrior, both identified as the key masterminds behind the syndicate. Sahu was strategically posted in Korba to exploit DMF’s lucrative tenders, as per the ACB report.
A Nexus of Government, Contractors, and Coal Mafia
The scam’s scope extended well beyond government officers. It involved political protection, vendor companies, middlemen, and even the coal mafia.
- Maya Warrior, serving as AC (Tribal), allegedly took bribes worth crores, accepted an Innova Crysta car worth ₹25.95 lakh, and facilitated fake employment for his sister to siphon off salaries.
- VK Rathore, District CEO of Katghora Janpad Panchayat, reportedly took ₹19 crore in bribes for clearing tenders worth ₹150 crore. He was arrested on May 9.
The money trail involved multiple vendors, including Sanjay Shende, Rishabh Soni, and Manoj Dwivedi, whose funds were routed through middlemen to senior officials, according to the charge sheet.
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ACB’s Strong Case: A Test of Justice or Another Cover-Up?
The ACB’s findings paint a grim picture of institutionalized corruption. The evidence, reportedly overwhelming, has led to several arrests, with more expected. Yet, the scale and depth of the scam have led to public apprehension about political suppression.
“The Korba DMF scam is not just a financial irregularity—it’s a mirror reflecting the entrenched rot in Chhattisgarh’s governance model,” an ACB official stated.
This case now stands as a litmus test for India’s investigative and judicial systems. Will the truth surface, or will it drown under political pressure like many before it?