The Vigilance Bureau has booked a deputy director in the Rural Development and Panchayats Department in connection with a Rs 1.80-crore scam at the Ferozepur BDPO office.Arun Sharma, who earlier served as the additional deputy commissioner (development) in the district, has been booked under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.However, Sharma denied any role in the alleged scam, saying it took place after he assumed the charge of the deputy director. Sharma claimed that the scam was highlighted by him.“However, I will fully cooperate during the investigation, as all allegations levelled against me are baseless,” said Sharma.According to information, officials at the BDPO office had allegedly made a payment of around Rs 1.80 crore to a private contractor, who owned a unit manufacturing interlocking in Mamdot, by using the digital signature of previous BDPO Kirandeep Kaur.Kirandeep Kaur was transferred from Ferozepur on January 1, 2024, following which the charge of the office had remained with two other officials during different periods.The matter came to the fore when Lakhwinder Singh Randhawa, then ADC (D), wrote to the office, seeking an explanation. Later, the matter was reported by the ADC (D) to the higher authorities, following which the additional secretary of the department had constituted a two-member committee to probe it.