Tribune News Service
Baghapurana (Moga), July 4
Now, embezzlement of wheat worth Rs 5 crore has come to the fore in Baghapurana of the Moga distrct. The wheat stock belonged to Pungrain.
Wheat was Stored in Baghapurana
- 1K quintal of wheat worth Rs 25 lakh procured from 2017 to 2018 was found missing from a storehouse of Pungrain in Baghapurana
- Similarly, thousands of bags of wheat worth Rs 2.34 crore, procured between 2018 and 2020, were also found missing
- In another godown located in Baghapurana, there was no trace of wheat worth Rs 2.25 crore
Last week, Rs 1.92 crore scam was reported wherein foodgrains from farmers during 2021 and 2022 were siphoned off from a storehouse of the Pungrain at Samadh Bhai village in Baghapurana.
District Food and Civil Supplies Controller Geeta Bishambu told the police that 1,000 quintals of wheat worth Rs 25 lakh procured from 2017 to 2018 was found missing from a storehouse of the Pungrain in Baghapurana. Similarly, thousands of wheat bags worth Rs 2.34 crore procured between 2018 and 2020 were also found missing from the storehouses of the procurement agency. In another storehouse of the same agency located in Baghapurana, there was no trace of wheat worth Rs 2.25 crore.
The financial losses pertaining to the cost of gunny bags in which the foodgrains were stored was yet to be ascertained by the department.
The embezzlement was detected during a physical verification of the wheat stored in the storehouses of the Pungrain conducted by the Food and Civil Supplies Department, claimed the DFSC.
Physical verification of the stock was again conducted by officials from other stations, which confirmed the missing stock.
Moga SSP Gulneet Singh Khurana got the inquiry conducted and ordered to register a fraud case against three officials—Ratinder Singh, Charanjit Singh and Jagraj Singh—responsible for financial losses.
Following which, an FIR under Sections 409 and 120B of the IPC was registered against them at Baghapurana police station.
It may be mentioned that Charanjit and Jagraj were also involved in the last week’s scam.
A senior official of the Food and Civil Supplies Department claimed that the departmental enquiry would also be conducted against them.
It has been learnt that the missing wheat stock was reportedly sold in the market after Russia-Ukraine war began in February as the price of wheat increased in March and April across the globe.
“We are making all out efforts to nab the officials concerned,” said Assistant Sub-Inspector Sardara Singh (Investigating officer).
Now, Rs 5 crore wheat scam in Moga
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