Another paddy scam unearthed in Moga - 70,000 bags worth Rs 4 crore reported missing
Wednesday, 19/11/2014
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20141119/punjab.htm#2
Moga, November 18 : Another paddy scam has come to light in Moga district. As many as 70,000 bags of paddy, including gunny bags, valued at Rs 4 crore, have been reported missing from a rice mill at Dharamkot.
A senior police officer said an FIR under Section 406 of the IPC had been registered against Kewal Krishan, son of Sham Lal, owner of Goyal Rice and General Mills, Dharamkot, on a complaint filed by Mool Chand, branch in charge, Markfed.
The latter said 1,26,688 bags of paddy were allotted to the rice mill during 2012-2013. But 70,000 bags were found missing during inspection in July this year. Repeated requests to the mill owner to account for the missing bags proved futile. Also, the mill failed to deliver custom milled rice to the the central food agency, FCI.
The officer alleged that the mill delivered only 19,623 quintals of rice to the FCI and sold the rest of the 10,084 quintals on the black market. A probe into the scam has been handed over to the economic offences wing of the police. Investigating officer Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Ved Parkash said the police had raided the mill owner's residence but he was not found there.
“We will soon arrest him and try to recover the missing paddy,” he said.
This is the fourth paddy scam unearthed in Moga district during the past one week. As many as 4,011 quintals of paddy had gone missing from Dhaliwal Agro Rice Mills, Nihalsinghwala; 84,995 bags from Agro Industries, Ajitwal, and 11,460 bags from Hi-Tech Food Industry, Ajitwal.
Fourth scam in a week
Markfed branch in charge Mool Chand has told the police that 1,26,688 bags of paddy were allotted to Goyal Rice and General Mills, Dharamkot, in 2012-13
But 70,000 bags were found missing during an inspection in July this year
