Ghost paddy scam deepens in Karnal; 6th FIR as state tightens storage rules

The “ghost paddy procurement scam” in Karnal district continues to widen, with the Indri police registering a sixth FIR after fresh irregularities were unearthed during a physical verification at a rice mill in Indri. The latest case has been filed against Ashok Kumar and Sanjay Kumar, both residents of Indri and proprietors of AS Rice Mill located on Nanehra Road. They have been booked under Sections 3(5), 316(2), and 318(4) of the BNS, based on a complaint by Reshu Dahiya, District Manager, Haryana State Warehousing Corporation (HSWC).

The inspection was conducted by a team constituted on the directions of the SDM, Indri, as part of a district-wide verification drive ordered after reports of “ghost procurement”, inflated milling records and manipulated stock entries emerged from several grain markets and mills. During the verification, officials detected major mismatches between the paddy allotted to the mill and the rice produced.

According to the report, the mill had received 3,723.375 MT of paddy for the kharif marketing season 2025-26. Of this, 90.075 MT was found short during stock inspection. The team also found 593.9 MT of rice in the premises, which the millers claimed had been milled from the freshly allotted paddy. To verify this claim, an FCI team led by officials Pardeep and Gaurav conducted quality checks. The rice failed the test, indicating that it was not milled from government-supplied paddy and was likely sourced from the open market.

Based on the CMR (custom-milled rice) policy, 886.5 MT of paddy is required to produce 593.9 MT of rice. Since the consignment was rejected for CMR, this additional quantity was added to the shortage already detected. This brought the total shortfall to 976.575 MT, valued at Rs 2.31 crore, officials said.

Police believe the findings indicate another possible instance of “proxy procurement”, where paddy is allotted without actual arrival at the grain market. “We are investigating all angles of this mill and will take action against everyone involved,” said Superintendent of Police (SP) Ganga Ram Punia. He added that the role of HSAMB officials, procurement staff, arhtiyas, millers and even farmers was being examined. “So far, we have registered six FIRs, and the SIT led by DSP Rajiv Kumar is checking CCTV footage from grain markets to verify the issuance of gate passes as well as the actual arrival of paddy,” he said.

Amid the growing evidence of irregularities, the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department has issued fresh directions mandating that all procured paddy must be stored strictly within the boundary walls of rice mills. “Any stock found outside the premises, whether on plinths, platforms or rented godowns, will not be considered in the CMR and will be automatically rejected during physical verification,” the circular states. The department has also clarified that procurement for the season ended on November 15, and all verifications will now rely solely on the final records.