A significant fraud case has emerged in Rajasthan’s Pali district, where ₹7 crore was siphoned from the "Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi" scheme by creating fake accounts in the names of Muslims in Hindu villages. Interestingly, these villages do not have a single Muslim resident. The funds were transferred to accounts registered under people from West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Authorities have identified around 29,000 fraudulent accounts in the Pali district alone. A staggering number of bogus accounts were detected in various regions. Specifically, 20,000 fake accounts were found in Desuri, 9,004 in Rani, and 62 in Marwar Junction. Following the investigation, a case was filed, and it's worth noting that this scam allegedly took place in 2020, when the Congress party was in power in the state, with Ashok Gehlot serving as the Chief Minister.

Although the fraud occurred in 2020, authorities initially tried to suppress the news and did not file an FIR. However, officials blocked the funds from reaching these fake accounts and froze them.

An investigation by Dainik Bhaskar revealed that between 2019 and August 2020, fraudulent Pradhan Mantri (PM) Samman Nidhi applications were submitted under fake farmers' names using e-Mitra and Common Service Centers (CSCs). Once verified, the Patwari forwarded these applications to the Tehsildar, who then submitted them to the collector for further approval. Eventually, the list was sent to the central government, which began transferring Kisan Nidhi funds to these accounts. Authorities now suspect government IDs may have been hacked to approve these fraudulent applications. Investigators are examining whether multiple government IDs were used or if the same ones were repeatedly exploited. In 2020, many PM Kisan Samman Nidhi applications were submitted in Desuri, leading to a significant increase in pending cases. The matter remains under investigation.

On November 5 of that year, there were 265 pending applications, but by December 21, the number had unexpectedly surged to 19,331. When officials investigated, they discovered these accounts were fraudulent. They had been created under the names of individuals from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, with 95% of them registered under Muslim names. However, an inquiry revealed that the Desuri community had no Muslim residents.

Similarly, ₹1.51 crore from the Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme was transferred to 4,793 bank accounts outside Rajasthan in a similar fraudulent manner. These accounts were later frozen. A similar case was found in Varkana village in Rani block, where there were no Muslim residents, yet 9,004 fake accounts were created under Muslim names. All these accounts were registered on the same day at a single bank branch in Rani. Three instalments of the Kisan Samman Nidhi funds had also been deposited into these fraudulent accounts.

The investigation revealed that all these accounts were opened under the names of individuals from West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. Notably, 90% of the names were Muslim. These accounts were registered simultaneously, and their applications were approved on the government portal on different dates, but at the same time. In Marwar Junction alone, 62 fake accounts were discovered.

Officials stated that several gangs operating in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are involved in fraudulently siphoning funds from the Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme by creating fake identification documents. While genuine farmers from the affected villages had their applications rejected, these fraudulent applications were approved on the portal without requiring an OTP. As a result, 32,000 fake applications were submitted.

A case in Rajasthan appears to be the work of an extensive fraud network, similar to an incident reported in Chhattisgarh in March 2024. In the Bemetara district, funds from the Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme were allegedly transferred to 856 fake farmer accounts, with 198 linked to West Bengal. Following the revelation, the district collector ordered an investigation.

The inquiry found that payments were sent to accounts under the names of 656 Muslims in Bargaon village, located in Berla block. However, only 19 Muslim farmers were officially listed in the village and none lived there. The investigation uncovered a fraud amounting to approximately ₹3 crore.