AHMEDABAD: In a significant development in the Dahod MGNREGA scam investigation, police have arrested Kiran Khabad, the younger son of Gujarat Panchayat Raj Minister Bachu Khabad, further tightening the net around the influential Khabad family. This early morning arrest took place just hours after his elder brother, Balwant Khabad, was taken into custody on Saturday, signalling an intensifying crackdown. Kiran was apprehended on the Vadodara-Halol highway and swiftly brought to the police station.Speaking to the media, Dahod DySP Jagdish Bhandari stated firmly, “Seven people have been arrested so far in connection with the MGNREGA scam. Some are in judicial custody, others on remand. Today, five more were arrested during a statewide operation.”He added, “Among those arrested are Kiran Khabad, proprietor of the agency; APO Dilip Chauhan; former TDO R.K. Rathwa; and Parth Bariya, also linked to the agency. Bhavesh Rathod has also been detained. The investigation is intensifying.”The massive Rs 71 crore MGNREGA scam has rocked Gujarat’s rural development machinery. With the arrest of Kiran Khabad son of the State Panchayat and Agriculture Minister the case has reached a new level. Kiran had been absconding, even as his elder brother Balwant Khabad, also a son of the minister, was arrested earlier on 17 May, directly linking both siblings to the high-profile fraud.
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