Continuing its efforts to check bogus billing, Punjab Food and Civil Supply Department has once again detected bogus purchase of 86,939 bags of paddy worth Rs 5.6 crore.
PUNSUP has placed the Mandi incharge Sh. Hansa Singh Inspector under suspension with immediate effect.
While cases have been registered against all the commission agents (arhtiyas) and the millers involved, PUNSUP has placed its Mandi in-charge Hansa Singh under suspension with immediate effect.
Informing this, the state Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu said that as inputs were being received that there is movement of paddy or rice from other states to Punjab.
“PUNSUP held a meeting of its district mangers on November 20, and they were specially instructed to re-check the purchases done and verify the same with the stocks in the premises of the Millers personally,” said Ashu.
He said that Ferozepur District Manager on November 21, while scrutinizing the purchase, detected abnormal purchase at Jiwan Arain and Panje Ke Uttar mandis by arhtiyas — M/s Reet Enterprises owned by Jaswinder Singh and M/s Jagdish Chander and Sons owned by Sandeep Kumar and Dhruv Commission Agent owned by Rishu Mutneja.
“They had made bogus purchases of 86,939 bags of paddy in connivance with M/s Sunrise Rice Mill, Jiwan Arain, Tehsil Guru Har Sahai, against which payments to the tune of Rs 5.6 crore have been taken.,” said Ashu adding that it was suspected that the miller was planning to buy paddy from other states like UP and Bihar, where it is much cheaper than MSP and then deliver it during milling to make a quick profit.
A team headed by General Manager (Procurement) was also sent from the Head Office, which conducted the physical verification in the rice mill and found a shortage of 86,939 bags of paddy.
Further investigation by the head office team revealed that there is money trail of funds diverted from bank account of M/s Reet Enterprises owned by Jaswinder Singh to M/s AM Industries Jiwan Arain owned by Harpreet Singh who is real brother of M/s Jaswinder Singh.
M/s AM Industries further distributed these funds to SS Industries, GS Trading Company, MJ Industries, Harpreet Kaur and Amandeep and further details are being taken from banks.
The Minister said that an FIR has been lodged against the concerned arhtiyas M/s Reet Enterprises owned by Jaswinder Singh, Jagdish Chander & Sons owned by Sandeep Kumar and Dhruv Commission Agent owned by Rishu Mutneja and M/s Sunrise Rice mill owned by Jasmeet Singh along with concerned mandi inspector Hansa Singh.
Further the police has been given the information regarding diversion of funds to include the name of M/s AM Industries Jiwan Arain owned by Harpreet Singh who is real brother of Jaswinder Singh in the case and also investigate further the role of SS Industries, GS Trading Company, MJ Industries, Harpreet Kaur and Amandeep.
Notably, with the latest nab, the Punjab Food and Civil Supply Department in a record of its kind has been successful in checking bogus billing of about five lakh bags of paddy and rice in the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season.