GUWAHATI, June 16: Nothing concrete seems to have emerged in the case relating to the seizure of rice bags, reportedly involving Food Corporation of India (FCI), Shillong, from a private warehouse in Kamrup district, with Assam Police here not disclosing anything on the case “as investigation is underway”.
Police had on June 1 seized “a huge quantity” of rice bags from a truck at Nadiapara village under Boko police station after residents of the village, suspecting something wrong, informed the police.
A suo motu case was accordingly registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and an investigation conducted subsequently.
On the status of the case, Kamrup deputy superintendent of police (headquarters) Kalyan Kumar Pathak told The Shillong Times on Wednesday that “The case is pending. Investigation is going on and hence it is not possible to disclose anything as of now.”
Asked whether there has been any communication with authorities in Meghalaya in regard to the seizure, Pathak said, “Like I said, the investigation officer is on the job and nothing can be revealed as of now.”
Boko police have still not disclosed any details on the investigation or the owner/persons being interrogated, including information on the quantity of the rice bags seized.
When asked about the seizure list information, the officer in-charge of Boko police station said that the number was sizable “but less than one lakh” bags.
According to reports, as many as 13 trucks were detected in the parking lot of the warehouse and the rice, believed to be from FCI Shillong division, had been sent under a wheat-based nutrition programme and National Food Security Act, 2013 through the directorate of social welfare, Meghalaya.
The truck which was seized at Nadiapara on June 1 had rice bags that were repackaged under the East Sunrise brand at the private warehouse of Maruti Quality Products Pvt Ltd, to be supplied to Assam Rifles.
Maruti Quality Products Pvt Ltd is a company tied up with multinational food major Nestle, while East Sunrise is a brand of Continental Milkose India Ltd. The warehouse is said to be owned by one Deepak Agarwal.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K. Sangma has denied his government’s involvement in the “scam”, and instead insisted that the rice bags seized had no connection with the public distribution system (PDS) in Meghalaya.
Sangma however said that Continental Milkose Pvt Ltd, an approved manufacturing supplier of micronutrients and energy-dense fortified food under the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP), has been supplying to Meghalaya.
“The complete supply of these micronutrient and energy-dense fortified foods has already been received,” he said.
While the chief minister has sought a clarification from the social welfare department, minister Kyrmen Shylla dismissed the department’s involvement in the alleged scam.