MEERUT, Nov. 23 -- The Bareilly police have constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe into irregularities in the widow pension scheme, in which 56 married women and two other ineligible beneficiaries allegedly withdrew Rs.1.23 crore using forged documents. The SIT, formed on the directions of SSP Anurag Arya and headed by SP (south) Anshika Verma, has been tasked with examining financial transactions, fake death certificates, verification lapses and suspected collusion by government employees.

The crackdown began after district magistrate Avinash Singh submitted a detailed report to the police, exposing large-scale irregularities in Aonla, Baheri, Faridpur and urban areas. Preliminary findings revealed that dozens of women ...