Tribune Impact: Paddy stock fraud exposed in Karnal, two FIRs lodged

In a major crackdown on paddy procurement irregularities, the Karnal district administration has unearthed large-scale discrepancies in government paddy stock after physical verification of rice mills. The findings have led to the registration of two FIRs against several officials and millers for alleged misappropriation of paddy worth crores.

The action follows a series of reports published by ‘The Tribune’ highlighting unusual patterns in paddy arrivals despite lower yield this season. The reports prompted the administration to intensify scrutiny, with Deputy Commissioner Uttam Singh ordering multiple verification drives and enhanced vigilance at the Haryana-Uttar Pradesh border and local grain markets.

Following the verification exercise, two separate FIRs were lodged — one at Sadar police station and another at Taraori police station — naming a market committee secretary, four inspectors, one sub-inspector of the procurement agency and one miller among the accused.

Shortfall of over 33K bags found at Karnal mill

The first FIR was registered on the complaint of District Food and Supplies Controller (DFSC) Anil Kumar against Satish Kumar, proprietor of M/s Batan Foods, Salaru, along with mandi inspectors Yashvir Singh (Gharaunda), Sandeep Sharma (Jundla), Sameer Vashisth (Karnal) and Lokesh (Nissing).

A verification team led by SDM Karnal Anubhav Mehta, with officials of procurement agencies, inspected Batan Foods on October 25 and found a shortage of 33,759 bags (12,659.62 quintals) out of 67,013 bags (25,129.87 quintals) allotted to the mill for the 2025-26 kharif season.

The miller claimed part of the paddy was stored at two separate locations—Batan Foods, Salaru, and Bhatia Open Plinth, Jundla — without obtaining mandatory permission for off-site storage. However, the Jundla Market Committee reported that no such stock belonging to Batan Foods was found at the claimed site. Instead, the missing paddy was traced to other mills — Radhe Radhe Rice Mill (30,889 bags), Shakti Rice Mill (33,045 bags) and Bholenath Rice Mill (49,622 bags).

The FIR also mentions that the miller submitted a false affidavit dated October 10, 2025, claiming to have rented the Bhatia Plinth from October 11 to November 10. The affidavit allegedly bore the forged signature of one Ajay Bhatia, while the market committee confirmed that no such agreement existed.

Investigators estimate that Batan Foods embezzled government paddy worth around Rs 3.54 crore, including MSP, mandi and transport charges. The mill had received 28,424.625 quintals of paddy through 99 gate passes from four mandis, under the supervision of the four inspectors named in the FIR.

Second FIR in Taraori over 855 MT shortfall

The second FIR, registered at Taraori police station, names Sanjeev Sachdeva, secretary of the Taraori Market Committee, and Ramphal, sub-inspector of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, for alleged procedural violations and collusion with millers.

According to the complaint, a team led by Additional Deputy Commissioner Sonu Bhatt found a shortage of 855 metric tonnes of paddy during verification on October 27, 2025. The rice miller claimed the missing stock was stored at the Sagga sub-yard and produced a letter signed by both officials permitting off-site storage. However, verification revealed that two other mills had also been granted similar permission for the same site, creating overlapping claims.

On inspection, only 2,212.86 MT of paddy was found at the location against combined claims of 3,078 MT, indicating possible diversion of stock and manipulation of records.

The inquiry concluded that both officials acted beyond their jurisdiction and likely in collusion with millers, causing significant losses to the state exchequer.

“Physical verification of the rice mills is going on. Strict action will be taken against all those involved,” said Deputy Commissioner Uttam Singh.

“We have registered two FIRs and a thorough investigation will be conducted,” added Superintendent of Police Ganga Ram Punia.