Alirajpur: 5 booked for diverting PDS food grain to open market

Alirajpur (Madhya Pradesh): Alirajpur police registered an FIR against five people including the centre in-charge of Madhya Pradesh Civil Supplies Corporation for diverting food grain meant for government fair price shops for sale in the open market. On being weighed by the police, 226 quintals of wheat worth Rs 4,87,104 in 451 bags and 85 quintals of wheat worth Rs 2,32,011 were found in 175 bags, and the vehicle was seized from the grain and kept in police custody.

According to Alirajpur Kotwali police station in-charge Shivram Tarole, based on the complaint and investigation report of junior supply officer Sunita Mastram, Madhya Pradesh Civil Supplies Corporation's centre in-charge Suresh Meena, transport contractor Nandlal Chaudhary, his son Pritesh, employee Pratik Kothari, driver Kalim Khan, a resident Sorwa Naka has been booked under Section 409 of IPC and Section 3 and 7 of the Essential Commodities Act.

Tarole informed that the matter was revealed on July 29. On July 29, the Revenue and Food Department officer got a complaint that truck No MH18-BO 5625 was standing in suspicious condition near Narayan Petrol Pump on Kukshi Road.

On reaching the spot, the department team found that the truck was laden with grains meant for government fair price shops. Department officials brought this truck to Civil Supplies Corporation.

Transport contractor Nandlal Chaudhary and his son Ritesh Chaudhary told the officers that the truck belonged to them and was contracted for the transportation of ration. During further investigation, it was revealed that the said vehicle was going in the opposite direction from the direction of the concerned ration shops, on which the transporter told that the vehicle was being taken on the weighing fork, during which it got damaged and was thus parked near the pump.

According to the police, investigation revealed that the ration was not taken to the respective shops and was being taken for sale in the market.