The ACB team visited several farms at Sokhda and Shinor villages of the district and found discrepancies in lands under nine different survey numbers in Sokhda and four different survey numbers in Shinor. (Image for representational purpose)

Six officials of Gujarat State Land Development Corporation (GSLDC) were booked by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in connection with a Rs 11-lakh farm pond scam that surfaced across two villages in Vadodara district. Three accused have been arrested by the ACB on Thursday.

The ACB team visited several farms at Sokhda and Shinor villages of the district and found discrepancies in lands under nine different survey numbers in Sokhda and four different survey numbers in Shinor.

The officials then recorded statements of land owners and verified their bank statements and realised that the ponds as claimed to have constructed on their land were constructed only on paper but not in reality, by officials of the GSLDC.

The officials further stated that the land owners had not applied for construction of any farm ponds. According to ACB officials, the six accused had furnished documents to the government stating construction of farm ponds by providing forged bills and wrong measurement entries, and siphoned off Rs 11 lakh.

After a probe, ACB officials named assistant directors N H Patel and K G Upadhyay, field supervisor K J Shah, regional assistant N C Rathwa and private contractors Chhotu Rathwa and Jetharam Purkharam as accused in the scam. Of the six, three people including N H Patel, who recently retired, Rathwa and Shah were arrested by ACB from their homes on Thursday.