Authorities in Maharashtra’s Satara district have arrested a couple for allegedly submitting 30 fraudulent applications to claim monetary benefits under the Ladki Bahin Yojana, a state government scheme that provides Rs 1,500 per month to underprivileged women. The scheme, introduced by the Eknath Shinde-led administration, aims to support women in financial need.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Pratiksha Popat Jadhav and her husband, Ganesh Sanjay Ghadge. Investigators revealed that the couple used different Aadhaar card numbers to file the 30 applications, but linked them all to the same bank account, which belonged to Pratiksha.
The fraud came to light following a complaint from a woman in Panvel, prompting the Satara district administration to form a three-member committee to investigate. During the probe, authorities discovered that the funds from all 30 applications were being deposited into the same account. Based on these findings, the committee submitted a report, leading to the couple’s arrest on Tuesday.
Satara Superintendent of Police Sameer Sheikh confirmed the arrest and stated that the preliminary investigation suggests the couple devised the fraudulent scheme to address their financial difficulties.
The Ladki Bahin Yojana, introduced in the state budget in June by the Shinde government, provides Rs 1,500 per month to married, divorced, and destitute women aged 21-65. The scheme has a family income eligibility cap of Rs 2.5 lakh per year for beneficiaries.
