Bathinda: 3 steal 165 quintal wheat, arrested

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, March 7

The Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested three employees of Globes Ware Housing and Trading Private Limited Company, Delhi, — Jaspal Kumar (manager), Sukhjinder Singh (clerk) and Baljinder Singh (in-charge) — for misappropriating wheat bags and pouring water on those stored by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) in Gurveer Kaur’s godown at Gill Kalan village, Rampura Phul in Bathinda in 2023. The VB is also probing the role of other officers/employees during the investigation of the case.

An official spokesperson of the VB said a team of the VB had inspected the godown in the presence of officials of the FCI, Pungrain and warehouse. During the probe it was found that the abovesaid employees had misappropriated the stock. On the basis of this investigation, the VB registered a case against the accused.

During the checking it was found that the FCI had got 18 godowns on rent through Globes Ware Housing for storing wheat through Pungrain in Bathinda district. The FCI had stored 2,33,374 bags of wheat weighing 1,16,430 quintals in Gurveer’s godown in May 2023. After dispatching the wheat to other states, 1,57,151 bags of wheat (weighing 78,348.39 quintals) remained in the godown.

During the investigation, it was found that the accused took out about 165 quintals of FCI wheat from the store. To complete the misappropriated wheat stock, the accused in connivance with others spoiled the remaining wheat by pouring water on the bags, thereby increasing the weight by about 875 grams per quintal. During the checking, a video footage of pouring water on wheat sacks was also seized.

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