Six employees, including two inspector rank officials of the Punjab food and civil supplies department, have been booked for allegedly embezzling at least 21,363 bags of wheat containing about 10.6 lakh quintals.
The accused have been identified as Jaspreet Singh, inspector, presently posted at Ferozepur; Rahul, inspector and food and civil supplies officer; Manjinder Singh, assistant; and three other employees Harvinder Singh, Jaswinder Kumar and Rajwinder Singh. The police have registered a case under sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant), 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.
Station house officer (SHO), Sadar police station, Harmanpreet Cheema, said the case was registered on the complaint of district manager of Pungrain who had approached the senior superintendent of police to conduct a detailed inquiry into the matter. “On the basis of an inquiry conducted by the superintendent of police, the accused have been booked under above sections,” the SHO said.
He added the complaint stated that post-procurement, wheat bags were stacked in five godowns in the Samana area in 2014 and 2016, but during physical verification, at least 21,363 bags were found missing. “We have started an investigation and directed the department concerned to submit the record pertaining to godowns and physical verification conducted by the department of its own,” he said. No arrest has been made so far.
{{/usCountry}}He added the complaint stated that post-procurement, wheat bags were stacked in five godowns in the Samana area in 2014 and 2016, but during physical verification, at least 21,363 bags were found missing. “We have started an investigation and directed the department concerned to submit the record pertaining to godowns and physical verification conducted by the department of its own,” he said. No arrest has been made so far.
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