FCI scam: CBI searches 39 more locations, arrests Patiala official

New Delhi, January 13

The CBI today conducted fresh searches at 39 more locations and made another arrest as part of its ongoing crackdown under “Operation Kanak” against a corrupt syndicate of Food Corporation of India (FCI) officials, rice mill owners and grain merchants, officials said.

Recovers Rs 23L | total seizure now Rs 1.03 cr

• Satish Verma, a manager at FCI, Patiala branch, arrested; remanded in police custody
• CBI has so far searched 99 locations — 90 in Punjab and Chandigarh and nine in the rest of the country

The raiding team also recovered an additional Rs 23 lakh, taking the total seized amount to Rs 1.03 crore.

The officials said the CBI had so far searched 99 locations — 90 in Punjab and Chandigarh and nine in the rest of the country, including Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, where the syndicate’s links were traced.

The agency arrested Satish Verma, another manager at the FCI, Patiala, they said, adding that the arrested person had been remanded in police custody.

The CBI had on Wednesday launched a crackdown on alleged corruption in the FCI through “Operation Kanak”, conducting searches at 50 locations in Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi. It had also arrested a DGM of the FCI, Rajiv Kumar Mishra, and Ravinder Singh Khera, proprietor of Guru Kripa Rice and Agro Industries, the officials said.