Rajasthan official's wife earns Rs 37.54 lakh 'salary' from 2 companies without working

The FIR accuses the official of 'systematically misusing' his position to channel bribes in his wife’s name, disguised as salary and consultancy fees. (Representational image)

A Rajasthan official's wife allegedly received Rs 37.54 lakh in salary over nearly two years without performing any work, as part of a fake employment scheme linked to government tenders. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has filed a case against two senior officials in the state’s IT department, accusing them of accepting bribes disguised as salary payments to the woman.

Fake job, real money

Poonam Dixit, wife of Pradyuman Dixit—Joint Director at RajComp Info Services and the Department of Information Technology and Communication (DoIT&C)—was shown as employed by two private firms: Navi Mumbai-based AURIONPRO Solutions Limited and Noida-based Triazine Software Private Limited. Both companies had received government tenders allegedly facilitated by Dixit and his colleague, former ACP Rakesh Kumar Kamlesh, the Indian Express reported.

According to the FIR, Poonam was paid Rs 1.6 lakh per month and received regular performance appraisals, despite never visiting either office or submitting any work. The ACB investigation found that the payments were routed through five personal bank accounts, some jointly held with her husband and others opened under aliases such as “Priyal Dixit.”

Kickbacks disguised as consultancy fees

The ACB alleges that the payments were kickbacks to Pradyuman Dixit for favouring the firms during tender processing. The total amount received by Poonam between January 2019 and September 2020 was Rs 37,54,405. According to the publication, the FIR accuses Dixit of “systematically misusing” his position to channel bribes in his wife’s name, disguised as salary and consultancy fees.

The case surfaced after advocate T.N. Sharma filed a complaint in the Rajasthan High Court, which ordered a verification of the allegations. Based on the findings, a preliminary inquiry was registered on July 3.

Officials under scrutiny

The ACB has booked both Dixit and Kamlesh for corruption and criminal conspiracy. Investigators have collected witness statements, financial records, and internal documents from DoIT&C, RajComp Info Services, and the two private firms.

The officials are estimated to have received at least Rs 90 lakh in kickbacks through the scheme.