"They replaced my wife's picture with Deepika."
Fraudsters are using pictures of Deepika Padukone and other Bollywood actresses on fake job cards in order to claim benefits.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) job scheme has been targeted.
Pictures of Deepika, Jacqueline Fernandez and other actresses have reportedly been used on fake online job cards in order to claim government benefits in the Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh.
It has been reported that the fake cards have been issued in the name of Sonu Shantilal, Manoj Dubey and nearly a dozen other residents of Peeparkheda Naka village.
District officials believe that hundreds of thousands of rupees have been claimed as wages for jobs that were never undertaken in the first place.
According to Mr Shantilal’s card, he was paid for building a drain near his village.
Other fake cards have claimed money for digging ponds and repairing canals.
Around Rs. 30,000 (£310) has been withdrawn every month against a card in Mr Dubey’s name.
Padam Rupsingh revealed his job card has Dia Mirza’s photo and said that he was not provided with any job in the village.
However, those who have the fake cards have said they do not know how it has happened.
Mr Shantilal and Mr Dubey stated that they have not claimed a single day’s work. Mr Dubey owns 50 acres of land and revealed that he has never had MNREGA job card made.
Mr Shantilal said: “I don’t know how this card was made. They replaced my wife’s picture with Deepika.”
He went on to allege that the panchayat secretary and employment assistant were involved in the fraud.
The CEO of the district panchayat has ordered an inquiry into how these fake cards were printed and wages claimed.
Gaurav Benal said:
“I have received complaints regarding the use of Bollywood actors’ photos on job cards.”
“In the last few days large amounts of money have been withdrawn and muster rolls filled. We will find out how the job cards were issued and how these pictures were taken.
“I have instituted an inquiry to see if these cards are real and in what circumstances the photographs were used on the cards. Action will be taken against the guilty if the inquiry committee reports irregularities.”
The mandate of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is to provide at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every rural household, whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
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