SHILLONG, July 5: Income Tax (IT) officials on Tuesday raided the Thana road residence of a well-known businessman who has high political connections.
An official source informed that the raid by the IT officials is linked with the alleged rice scam involving the state’s Social Welfare department.
According to the source, the IT sleuths have established a link between the city-based businessman and M/s Continental Milkose India Ltd.
It is reported that the raid started in the morning and continued till 5pm.
It may be recalled that amid criticism and controversies surrounding the alleged rice scam, the Social Welfare department had temporarily stopped Continental Milkose Ltd., the approved manufacturer for the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), from processing and supplying fortified food till investigation by Assam police is completed.
“The contract for the supply of the fortified food will be given to another approved supplier/ manufacturer and the department is still working on finalising the name of the supplier(s),” Social Welfare Minister Kyrmen Shylla had said.
Following the expose on the rice scam, Shylla had come out with a justification stating that as per the explanation given by the manufacturer – M/s Continental Milkose India Ltd, the rice collected from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) godown was supposed to be transported to Noida for repackaging but was kept in a godown at Boko in Assam due to transportation problem, owing to the COVID-induced lockdown.
The raid on the godown by Boko Police led to the unearthing of the rice scam.
It may be noted here that the Gauhati High Court on March 2 last dismissed a petition filed by M/s Maruti Quality Products Pvt. Ltd and M/s Continental Milkose India Ltd seeking the court’s intervention to quash the FIR filed against them by Boko Police.
The court had observed that the Investigation Officer had collected sufficient materials in support of the allegation made in the FIR against the petitioners.
“It appears that the IO, during the investigation, has ascertained that the rice seized by him from the godown of the petitioners is FCI rice allocated to the Social Welfare department, Government of Meghalaya. But, the end use of the rice is not clear,” the court had stated.
“M/s Continental Milkose India Ltd has failed to provide any valid document regarding packaging of polished rice at M/S Maruti Quality Products Pvt. Ltd, Chatabri Industrial Estate under Boko PS with Brand ‘East Sunrise’ with marking ‘for Assam Rifles only’ and it is strongly suspected that M/s Maruti Quality Products Pvt. Ltd and M/s Continental Milkose India Ltd used to collect FCI rice under various schemes through the Social Welfare department, Government of Meghalaya, and repackage the said rice after polishing the same in the mill found inside the godown of M/S Maruti Quality Products Pvt. Ltd, Chatabari, and supply to Assam Rifles and to other places in black market,” the court had said in its verdict.
