2 booked in cement scam

The Chamba Police have registered an FIR against the pradhan of Sanwal Panchayat in Churah subdivision of the district for alleged misappropriation of government cement by issuing fake bills. The brother of a former Zila Parishad member has also been booked in the case. The accused have been identified as Sanwal Panchayat Pradhan Mohan Lal, who was already under investigation for a Rs 1.20 crore scam related to the procurement of apple saplings and another person Kewal Krishan.

According to reports, the accused conspired to sell Rs 1.40 lakh worth of government cement using fraudulent bills. The incident came to light on January 31 when a truck carrying 276 bags of government cement left the Civil Supply store in Tissa, supposedly bound for Sanwal. However, instead of heading to Sanwal, the truck was diverted to some other place.

About 3 km from Tissa, the truck began unloading cement at a private store. Before the misappropriation could be completed, the police intercepted the driver. When asked for the necessary documents, the driver failed to produce a valid government bill.

During the investigation, the police discovered that the cement was issued without a formal demand from the panchayat. Following a thorough probe, the police registered a case against Lal and Krishan. Authorities are now investigating how the fraudulent bills were processed and whether more individuals were involved in the scheme.