Former Punjab Agro AI booked for selling 47,857 bags of wheat
Wednesday, 12/09/2012
http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=47962&boxid=57651&uid=&dat=2012-09-12
The wheat worth Rs 3.81 crore was illegally sold by a former area inspector (AI) of Punjab Agro Food Grain Corporation duped the department. He sold 47,857 bags or 23,828 quintals of wheat worth Rs 3.81 crore. The AI, Mela Singh, has been booked by Mullanpur Dakha police in the case.
The resident of Leelh village, Mela Singh remained posted as AI at Punjab Agro Food Grain Corporation in Mullanpur Dakha area from 2006 to March 31, 2012. He got the voluntary retirement on March 31 this year. “NK Sharma, Senior Division Manager, Ludhiana, Punjab Agro Food Grain Corporation, had complained to the police that Mela Singh had refused to hand over the charge of the area to his successor even after frequent letters and reminders sent to him. He neither handed over the charge nor gave the reply to the letters,” said Dakha Police Station Station House Officer (SHO) Prem Singh. Mela Singh’s successor, Sidharth Kapila, who was supposed to take charge, checked the stock of the department at Dakha base, and found that a huge stock of wheat was missing from the base-stock. Following this, a committee was formed headed by NK Sharma, which conducted an inquiry into the matter. The committee found that the wheat was missing from many stocks. “As many as 47,857 bags, each 50-kg each bag, was missing from the stock. The market price of the wheat is estimated to be Rs 3.81 crore,” said Prem Singh.
A case under Section 406 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered at Dakha police station and the inquiry of the case has been handed over to the Sub Inspector (SI) Jasmer Singh. “We have raided the house of Mela Singh but we could not nab him. A team has been sent in search of him and we will be able to arrest the accused soon,” said Jasmer Singh. He, however, did not rule out the involvement of others as well. “It is too early to conclude anything. We need to arrest and interrogate the accused first,” said Jasmer Singh.
