Mumbai: A husband-wife duo running a woman's self-help group in Vikhroli has been booked for allegedly selling rice which they have received under the 'mid-day meal' scheme. The couple has been identified as Chandrakant Panaskar and Sangeeta. The grocery shop owners to whom the rice has been sold, has also been booked.
According to the police, the Ghatkopar unit of Mumbai crime branch has received information about a rice, which is used to make 'mid-day meal', being sold in a grocery store in the Park Site area of Vikhroli. The crime branch team then raided the shop and seized 24 gunny bags carrying 1187 kilogram of 'mid-day meal' rice.
The police said rice worth Rs 19,000 has been seized from the shop. Chintan Gusai (24), owner of the shop, has told the crime branch officer that he had bought the rice from Panaskar.
The crime branch then registered an offence of cheating (section 420) and criminal breach of trust (section 406) under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Park Site police station against all the three.
"Shreya Mahila Audyogik Utpadak Sahakari Sanstha, a self-help group from VIkhroli, bagged a contract to supply mid-day meal to BMC schools in the area. The rice and other materials required to make the meal is provided by the Food Corporation of India. However, investigations revealed that the duo pilfered some rice and allegedly sold to Gusai at the rate of Rs 16 per kg," said a crime branch officer.
