Punjab Vigilance arrests Markfed senior branch officer for causing losses of Rs 1.24 crore

Chandigarh, December 7

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Wednesday arrested a senior branch officer of Markfed Punjab, Rajbir Singh Bains, in a misappropriation case for committing embezzlement of 12,194 wheat bags weighing 6,097 quintals in the stock of stored wheat at MRM complex Rajpura, in Patiala district. In this case, four accused officials including Rajbir Singh Bains have caused huge losses to state exchequer amounting to Rs1,24 crore.

Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the state VB said an FIR under Sections 409, 120-B of IPC and 13(1) D, 13(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act had already been registered at VB police station Patiala in which Rajbir Singh Bains, senior branch officer, Markfed, Rajpura; Farid Khan, custodian, MRM complex; and Daler Singh, salesman, were found responsible for causing this embezzlement. In this case Ashwani Kumar, field officer, open plinth, Dhindsa village, Rajpura has also been accused during the investigation.

The VB spokesperson further added that this case has been registered after surprise checking of Markfed storage godowns along with food and civil supplies department officials at MRM complex, Rajpura, and open plinth at Dhindsa.

During checking, the VB team found that the above mentioned Markfed officials were responsible for misappropriation of 12,194 wheat bags weighing 6,097 quintals during the check year 2013-2014, 2014-2015 and 2015-2016. In this way the above mentioned accused have caused loss of Rs 1,24 crore to the state exchequer by misappropriating this wheat stock. Further investigation in this regard was under progress, he added.