'KBC' contestant arrested in connection with ₹2.6cr scam case
What's the story
Amita Singh Tomar, a tehsildar who gained nationwide fame after winning ₹50L on the quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), has been arrested for her alleged involvement in a flood relief scam of around ₹2.6cr. The incident reportedly took place in Baroda tehsil of Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district in 2021. Tomar was arrested from her residence in Gwalior on Thursday and is currently lodged at Shivpuri jail after being produced before a court, reported PTI.
Scam details
Tomar, 25 officials siphoned off flood relief funds
Tomar, the then tehsildar of Baroda, was allegedly involved in siphoning off ₹2.57cr from flood relief funds meant for victims in Sheopur district. The funds were reportedly transferred into 127 fake bank accounts by Tomar and nearly 25 patwaris (revenue officials). Relatives and acquaintances of the accused were falsely shown as flood victims during the distribution of these funds to facilitate fraudulent transfers.
Investigation progress
22 'patwaris' have been arrested
The investigation into the scam has reportedly led to the arrest of 22 patwaris and one tehsildar. A total of 110 individuals have been named in the FIR, including Tomar. "Tomar had been absent from her duties, and a police team subsequently traced her and arrested her in Gwalior," said Superintendent of Police Sudhir Kumar Agarwal. The case is being probed by Baroda's Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Avneet Sharma, he further revealed.
Evasion tactics
Tomar tried to evade arrest
Tomar reportedly tried to evade arrest by filing a pre-arrest bail plea in the Gwalior bench of the High Court, which was rejected. She then approached the Supreme Court with a Special Leave Petition (SLP) for a pre-arrest bail plea, but that too was dismissed on March 17, 2026. Following these rejections, police arrested her at her Gwalior residence on Thursday. She was removed as Vijaypur tehsildar just a day before.
Personal history
Controversies surrounding Tomar
Tomar has been involved in several controversies over her social media posts and comments criticizing administrative actions. She also stirred up a row for making objectionable comments on a post related to the Constitution. In 2023, she wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing dissatisfaction over frequent transfers and not being allocated the tehsildar's post.