Store worker shoots video before suicide, lifts lid on wheat ‘scam’
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service
Faridkot, December 26
The son of an employee of the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation (PSWC) committed suicide here last evening. Before consuming poison, Gurpreet Singh shot a video on his mobile phone, alleging that he had been tortured by a PSWC employee and four others after he detected embezzlement of wheat stocks.
On the basis on the video, the police registered a case under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the IPC against Bikramjit Singh, a technical assistant in the PSWC, and four others.
Gurpreet was the son of a helper in the corporation, Gurdeep Singh. As per the FIR, Gurdeep had been left bedridden after a paralysis attack about five years ago. Gurpreet started working in place of his father and was posted at a PSWC store on the Sadiq road here.
In the video, Gurpreet alleged that he was taking poison as he was being tortured by Bikramjit, Gela Singh, Pinda Singh, Jeet Singh and Gagan.
Family members of the deceased alleged that Gurpreet had been threatened by some PSWC employees not to disclose the embezzlement.
Pushpinder Singh, district manager, PSWC, said Gurpreet was working as a daily wager with the PSWC. He expressed ignorance of the wheat theft and the stock missing from the store.
Earlier this year, it had come to light that the PSWC had paid Rs 1.57 crore for 9,061-quintal wheat, which was never purchased. Besides a PSWC inspector, the police had arrested an accountant and a labour contractor of a private firm. Iqbal Singh, SHO, Faridkot, said the police were probing the case.
