The Shahjahanpur district administration has ordered the attachment of assets worth Rs4.49 crore belonging to dismissed district social welfare officer Rajesh Kumar, the alleged kingpin of the 2023 old-age pension scam, officials said.
The order was issued by District Magistrate Dharmendra Pratap Singh under Section 14(1) of the Gangsters Act on Wednesday. The attachment also includes properties registered in the names of Kumar’s wife and son, officials confirmed.
According to the district administration, the movable assets proposed for attachment include three SUVs registered in the name of Kumar’s son. The immovable properties include agricultural land in Ataria village under Sidhauli tehsil in Sitapur district, a building constructed on 120.817 square metres at Para Ring Road in Lucknow registered in the name of his wife Mangita Singh, and a guest house in Sarosa Bharosa village of Kakori, Lucknow. The district magistrate said formal attachment proceedings would be initiated shortly.
The scam came to light in March 2023, when it was found that pension funds meant for 2,390 elderly beneficiaries under the 2022–23 old-age pension scheme were illegally diverted to other bank accounts. By manipulating bank details on official systems, the accused allegedly siphoned off Rs2.52 crore of government funds.
Following the exposure of the scam, an FIR was registered at Sadar Bazar police station against Rajesh Kumar and eight others. All nine accused were arrested and sent to jail.
Subsequently, on June 1, 2024, Sadar Bazar police registered a case against all the accused under Sections 2 and 3 of the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986.
Investigations revealed that the accused had formed an organised gang and systematically replaced genuine beneficiaries on the PFMS server using their own dongles and digital signatures, redirecting pension payments to accounts of ineligible persons.
Rajesh Kumar, identified as the leader of the gang, was dismissed from government service on November 9, 2025.
