The Karnal police have arrested a sub-inspector of Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department in connection with an FIR registered in Taraori police station for shortage of paddy stock in a mill and allotting paddy allegedly to a non-functional mill.
The accused has been identified as Ramphal.
“We have arrested sub-inspector of Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department after the department found shortage of paddy in Balaji Rice Mill and allotting paddy to a non-functional mill. We have registered two FIRs against him, other officials of the department and owners of two mills. Ramphal has been arrested in connection with shortage of paddy in Balaji mill. He is also accused in a case of shortage of paddy in Vishavkarma Rice Mill Taraori," said Narender Bijarniya, Superintendent of Police (SP).
He maintained that the police have been investigating all angles in this case and those involved in this case would not be spared.
It is learnt that two rice mills in Taraori were found short of paddy stock during physical verification, following which the authorities registered FIRs against the owners of the mills and officials of the Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department.
These FIRs have been registered after physical verification and ongoing investigation into an alleged paddy procurement scam in the district.
Mukesh Kumar, District Food and Supplies Controller (DFSC), Karnal, said that Balaji Rice Mill, Taraori, was found short of nearly 10,000 quintals of paddy, while Vishavkarma Rice Mill, Taraori, was found a short of around 26,000 quintals.
“We have also found that paddy was allotted to these mills when they were not functional and were not fulfilling the required criteria,” Kumar said.
The police have booked the owners of Balaji Rice Mill — Arun, Mohit and Surinder — along with department inspector Davinder and sub-inspector Ramphal under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Kumar further informed that he had also recommended registration of an FIR against the inspector and sub-inspector Ramphal who allotted paddy to Vishavkarma Rice Mill.
Earlier, six FIRs had been registered by the Karnal police at different police stations in connection with the alleged paddy scam and with these two FIRs, the number bas reached eight.
More than 40 officials, rice millers and arhtiyas have either been arrested or joined the investigation.
