There is a bar on any construction activity within 700 metres of the area, say state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers, who are now investigating the case. They added that the shopping complex belongs to some people masquerading as victims of the January 2001 earthquake in this border district.

As per the complaint, the trustees of Bhuj Bazaar Navnirman Charitable Trust had availed of monetary benefits from the earthquake relief fund set up by the Kutch district collector's office in 2006 to build a shopping mall claiming that their shops had collapsed in the earthquake.

The complaint was filed against four trustees of the Trust and the then district collector of Kutch (who has since moved out to a new posting) for permitting the trust to build the complex despite an official report raising doubts about the genuineness of the beneficiaries.

The complaint filed in Rajkot office of the CID (crime), has now named the officer as an accomplice in the fraud.

“The district collector was booked in the case as the NGO had produced documents before the court, which proved that the then deputy-collector of the district had pointed out the dubious antecedents of the beneficiaries to the former. However, in spite of that, the collector had given a go ahead to the project,” CID officials said.

The incident came to light when an NGO - the India Anti-Corruption Trust-- obtained details using the provision of the Right to Information Act. The information revealed that most of the beneficiaries were not eligible to receive the benefits. The NGO then approached the Bhuj local court on the matter, which ordered the CID to investigate the matter.