Registrar orders probe into milk co-op's payments to dead people

Vadodara: The Vadodara district registrar of cooperative societies has ordered an inquiry into allegations of irregularities in the Merakuva village milk producers' cooperative.

The district registrar of cooperative societies on Friday said it received a letter from the Savli BJP MLA, Ketan Inamdar, who had also written to the managing director (MD) of the Baroda District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited (Baroda Dairy).

An official said Baroda Dairy has been asked to investigate the matter. Simultaneously, an investigation from the district registrar of cooperative societies has also been ordered.

"Further action will be taken on the matter based on the investigations," the official said.

Inamdar, in his letter to Baroda Dairy's MD and the state govt, apart from other govt officials, said that men and women who had died a long time ago were paid lakhs by a milk society in Desar taluka of Vadodara district.

The MLA provided details of five persons as examples, along with their death certificates and payments made to them since 2020.

All five persons died between 2019 and 2024, but payments were made to their accounts for milk supplied a long time after their deaths. In all, Rs 39.93 lakh was paid to deceased members. This money was deposited in their accounts and was regularly withdrawn from the bank by unidentified people.

Inamdar said the passbooks for the accounts of these dead people revealed that the same sum was deposited at regular intervals. He said that amounts paid to members usually vary, as the fat content and quantity of the milk supplied vary. According to Inamdar, the quantity of milk shown suggested that the members had many cattle, which was unlikely.

Inamdar ruled out the possibility that a member of the family of the deceased was selling milk to the cooperative. He believes the milk was never supplied and money was paid by errant officials of the cooperative. Inamdar said he felt the scam may be much larger.