New Delhi: A man in Chhattisgarh has been accused of defrauding a government scheme intended for married women by allegedly opening a bank account in the name of Bollywood actor Sunny Leone. He reportedly collected Rs 1,000 every month from the scheme, which provides financial help to women.
The scheme in question is Mahtari Vandan Yojana and it was launched under the BJP-led government. According to the scheme. deposits Rs 1,000 monthly into the accounts of married women in the state. Investigations revealed that one of the beneficiary accounts belonged to “Sunny Leone,” exposing the irregularity.
Officials under scrutiny
The accused has been identified as Virendra Joshi and he is alleged to have opened and operated the account. Authorities have begun legal proceedings against him. Apart from that, officials tasked with verifying the beneficiaries are under scrutiny to determine how the fake account bypassed checks.
The incident occurred in Talur village, located in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region. District collector Haris S has ordered a thorough investigation by the Women and Child Development Department, and the officials have been instructed to seize the fake account and recover the stolen funds. According to authorities, the scam came to light after media reports highlighted the irregularity.
Political row erupts
The case has ignited a political row between the BJP government and the Opposition Congress. State Congress president Deepak Baij said that over half of the beneficiaries under the scheme were ineligible or fake. In response, Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao defended the scheme. He said that Congress was critical because it failed to implement similar welfare measures during its tenure. The probe into the fraud is ongoing, with accountability measures expected to follow soon.
In a similar incident from 2020, Sunny Leone’s name appeared on top the BA (English Honours) merit list at Kolkata’s Asutosh College, listing perfect scores in class 12. Termed a prank, officials blamed a fake application and vowed an inquiry. The incident sparked concerns over the online admission process’s credibility.
