The suspected racket has been detected in the districts of Morena, Bhind, and Rajgarh, where individuals allegedly registered themselves as farmers by using land survey records belonging to other people, including members of Scheduled Caste communities. The Economic Offences Wing has initiated an investigation into the alleged fraud.
According to sources, the accused allegedly purchased wheat from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh at prices ranging between Rs 2,200 and Rs 2,400 per quintal before selling it at government procurement centres in Madhya Pradesh at the MSP rate of Rs 2,600 per quintal. Officials suspect that the price difference generated illegal profits amounting to crores of rupees.
Investigators have expressed concern not only over the scale of the alleged fraud but also over the apparent failure of the verification mechanism. During the registration process, applicants' identities were required to be matched with official land ownership records. Any discrepancy between the applicant's name and the land records should have resulted in rejection by the Revenue Inspector and the Sub-Divisional Revenue Officer. However, several registrations with clear discrepancies were allegedly approved during verification at the administrative level.
Officials said that in numerous cases there were no valid tenancy agreements, no written consent from the actual landowners, and no legal documentation establishing any cultivation rights for the accused. Despite the absence of mandatory records, the registrations were allegedly approved.
The investigation indicates that the suspected fraud was executed through careful planning. Officials stated that registrations were frequently completed in one administrative block or cooperative society, while the wheat was weighed and procured at distant procurement centres to reduce the likelihood of detection. Although the registration deadline was March 10, most of the suspicious registrations were reportedly completed between March 5 and March 10, primarily during late-night and early-morning hours between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Investigators have also raised serious concerns regarding the financial transactions. While the land records used for registration belonged to genuine farmers, the MSP payments were deposited directly into the bank accounts of the alleged fraudsters.
So far, investigators have identified the sale of more than 18,000 quintals of wheat through the suspected network. In Morena district alone, 15 Revenue Inspectors have been suspended, while show-cause notices have been issued to two Sub-Divisional Revenue Officers serving in Joura and Banmore. In Bhind district, police have registered First Information Reports against four individuals accused of posing as farmers.
The Bhind investigation began after District Collector Kirodi Lal Meena received a confidential complaint alleging large-scale fraudulent registrations under the wheat procurement programme. Taking serious note of the allegations, he directed Food Inspector Sunil Kumar Mudgal to conduct a detailed inquiry into the suspected network.
The inquiry revealed major irregularities after the farmer registration records obtained from the Food Department were cross-verified with official land records maintained by the Revenue Department.
Field inspections and official reports confirmed that the land survey numbers used by several accused individuals were not registered in their names. In multiple cases, investigators found that the accused had no connection whatsoever with the land parcels listed in their applications.
Following the inquiry, the registrations of Sanchita Pathak, a resident of Lidhaura village, and Girija, Pratiksha, and Veer Singh Tomar, residents of Lalpura village, were declared fraudulent. The administration subsequently recommended criminal action against all four individuals.
Bhind Sub-Divisional Police Officer Ravindra Vaskale stated that the accused had allegedly targeted multiple cooperative societies and procurement committees to execute the fraud.
According to officials, Sanchita Pathak allegedly secured fraudulent registration through the Jaitpura procurement committee by using 18 different land survey plots located across several villages. Girija and Pratiksha allegedly obtained illegal registrations through the Nivsai procurement committee by using high-value land parcels situated in Lalpura village. Veer Singh Tomar allegedly registered himself as a farmer by falsely claiming ownership or cultivation rights over five survey plots spread across Daboh, Tola, and Barei villages.
Based on the administration's findings, police have registered a First Information Report, and the preliminary investigation suggests that the case extends far beyond isolated instances of fraud. Officials believe the operation may represent an organised financial crime spanning multiple districts through fake farmer registrations, coordinated procurement activities, and possible internal collusion.
Investigators also suspect that employees within government departments or functionaries associated with cooperative societies may have played a role in facilitating the fraudulent registrations during the verification process. As the investigation expands, authorities expect further arrests while examining the full extent of the alleged Minimum Support Price procurement racket.
The suspected scam has exposed serious vulnerabilities within the state's agricultural procurement system and raised significant questions about the integrity of official verification procedures. With investigations now extending across multiple districts, authorities are focusing on uncovering the complete network behind what could become one of the most significant procurement fraud cases in Madhya Pradesh.
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