Police seek rice mill, CCTV records to trace paddy irregularities in Karnal

Amid allegations of a paddy procurement scam in Karnal district, the police have launched a probe into suspected irregularities during the ongoing procurement season. Investigators have sought records related to the physical verification of rice mills, allotment of paddy to millers and issuance of gate passes from procurement agencies.

The police have also written to the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB) to provide CCTV footage from grain markets to trace possible discrepancies in the movement and storage of paddy.

The probe was triggered after officials detected a shortfall of over 13,000 quintals of paddy during physical verification at several rice mills in the district. Preliminary findings have pointed towards possible cases of ‘proxy procurement’, allegedly carried out using fake gate passes to adjust paddy transported from Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring states, as well as PDS rice from Bihar and other regions.

Following the initial reports, Deputy Commissioner Uttam Singh ordered a comprehensive verification drive of rice mills and directed officials to intensify checks at the Haryana-UP border points at Manglora and Shergarh Tapu, along with enhanced monitoring at grain markets to curb illegal paddy inflow.

“We have already registered two FIRs in separate police stations against four inspectors of the marketing board, the secretary of the Taraori market committee, one sub-inspector of a procurement agency and a rice miller,” said Superintendent of Police Ganga Ram Punia. “We have sought records of physical verification and gate passes from the authorities concerned. We will also examine CCTV footage related to gate pass issuance to check for irregularities.”

Meanwhile, SDM-led teams have begun verifying gate pass records against the actual arrival of farmers’ vehicles in grain markets. Multiple teams are cross-checking gate passes, mill stock registers and transport logs, while officials are also scrutinising CCTV footage from markets to track paddy vehicle movements, a senior official said.

Deputy Commissioner Uttam Singh reiterated that the administration is committed to ensuring transparency. “We are investigating all angles of the ongoing procurement. Any discrepancy or irregularity found during the investigation will invite strict legal and administrative action against those responsible,” he said.