A shocking case of fraud came to light in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, where a man allegedly opened an account in the name of actress Sunny Leone under a state government scheme for married women, and had been pocketing the ₹1,000 deposited monthly.

Under the BJP government's Mahtari Vandan Yojana, married women in Chhattisgarh receive ₹1,000 monthly into their accounts. It has now been revealed that one such account, receiving the funds, was opened in the name of actress Sunny Leone.

On checking the Mahtari Vandan Yojana website, it was found that the file lists the beneficiary as Sunny Leone, with her husband’s name as Johnny Sins.The application was submitted at the Anganwadi level in the Talur sector of Bastar district. The file shows it was marked "verified" by the Anganwadi worker and another supervisor. It also notes that the beneficiary has been receiving the monthly amount from March to December.

A case has been registered against Virendra Joshi, who allegedly opened and operated the fraudulent account. Officials responsible for verifying the eligible beneficiaries of the Mahtari Vandan Yojana are also being identified.

The fraud case was reported in Talur village, located in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region. District Collector Haris S has directed the Women and Child Development Department to conduct a thorough investigation and seize the bank account for recovery. Officials said media reports brought this shocking case of fraud to their attention.

This case of fraud has led to a heated debate between the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress.
State Congress chief Deepak Baij claims that more than 50% of the beneficiaries under the Mahtari Vandan Yojana are fake. In response, Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao said the Congress is upset because women in the state are now getting the monthly aid that the Congress failed to provide during its previous term.

On the Mahtari Vandan Yojana website, the details of a beneficiary by the unique code assigned to each beneficiary of the scheme. After entering the code and captcha, you can download a PDF file to view how much money the beneficiary has received.