Depot holder, aide booked for siphoning off ration in Moga

THE WHEAT WAS STORED ILLEGALLY IN A GODOWN AND TWO PRIVATE SPACES AT THE VILLAGE

MOGA: Police claimed to have unearthed a racket allegedly involved in siphoning off ration meant to be distributed among the poor under a central scheme and selling it in the open market.

The police have booked Gauri Shankar, a depot holder, and his associate Harpreet Singh, both residents of Kokri Phula Singh village in the district and recovered 1,000 bags containing nearly 30 quintal wheat that was shown as distributed in government records.

A case under Section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant), 120-B (punishment for criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 was registered against them at the Ajitwal police station.

The two were not arrested yet. The wheat was stored illegally in a godown and two private spaces at the village. The three places were sealed by the district administration and police late Thursday night.

The police said the accused were carrying out illegal activities under the patronage of local Congress leaders and officials of the food and civil supplies department. Jaswinder Singh, a panchayat member of the village, said, “The depot holder has done nothing wrong. All poor and unprivileged have willingly deposited their ration to him after receiving it from him.”

Have sought records: SHO

Ajitwal station house officer Veerpal Kaur said, “We are investigating the case from all angles. We are coordinating with the civil administration and the food and civil supplies department. We have sought records from the departments concerned and action would be taken accordingly.”

Later, some of Kokri Phula Singh panchayat members along with a number of local residents gathered outside the Ajitwal police station in support of the accused who were rounded up for questioning.