'30 lakh fake accounts': West Bengal govt orders SIT probe into Lakshmir Bhandar scheme

Key points

• West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced a special investigation team and money laundering probe into alleged fake Lakshmir Bhandar accounts.
• (With PTI inputs) KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday alleged large-scale irregularities in the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme launched by the previous TMC government and said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) would be constituted to probe nearly 30 lakh suspected fake beneficiary accounts.Addressing a press conference at the state secretariat, Nabanna, Adhikari said the matter would also be investigated from a money laundering angle, claiming that the alleged irregularities involved illegal cash transfers.The chief minister alleged that several men had fraudulently availed benefits under the scheme, which was meant exclusively for women."About 30 lakh Lakshmir Bhandar accounts are fake.
• I have directed the Director General of Police to form an SIT to investigate the issue," Adhikari said.Defending the BJP government's detailed verification process for the newly launched...