Officials have revealed that 894 people, who were not eligible, managed to fraudulently collect old-age pension benefits in Odisha’s Jajpur district by using forged documents. The scam was uncovered in the Binjharpur block, prompting swift action by local authorities.
According to Binjharpur’s BDO Hitanshu Samal, an investigation was launched after complaints emerged that ineligible individuals were using fake documents to claim pensions. “Our probe uncovered 894 fraudulent beneficiaries across at least 29 gram panchayats between September 2023 and September 2024,” Samal explained.
Notices have been sent out demanding that these individuals return all the pension money they wrongfully received. Officials even visited the homes of the accused to serve the notices personally, warning that failure to repay the funds would result in legal action.
The inquiry began after a complaint was lodged last year with former BDO Dibyendu Kumar Das, which pointed to irregularities in the pension scheme. This complaint led to an investigation that uncovered fraudulent activities amounting to Rs 90 lakh.
The district collector was informed immediately, and a formal complaint was filed against Block Social Security Officer Dharmendra Sahoo, who was subsequently suspended. Based on these findings, the Binjharpur police have registered a case and are pursuing further action.
