The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in Varanasi arrested two ration dealers on Friday for their involvement in a food grain scam that occurred during 2004-05 in Jaunpur district.
Arrests and Legal Proceedings
The arrested individuals, identified as Mohammad Ahmad and Lalbahadur Maurya, were presented before the corruption court in Varanasi and subsequently sent to judicial custody.
Details of the Scam
According to EOW officials, the scam took place under the Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana, a government scheme in Jaunpur district. Between 2004 and 2005, various development works such as drain construction, link roads, and soil filling were planned in villages of the Machhlishahr development block.
Labourers engaged in these works were entitled to receive foodgrain (rice) as wages. However, the then Block Development Officer (BDO), work in-charge, ration dealers, and others allegedly committed financial irregularities and failed to distribute the foodgrain.
Case Registration and Investigation
A case was registered in 2019 at the EOW police station in Varanasi. The arrested accused are ration shop operators who, in collusion with others, are accused of embezzling government funds amounting to Rs 6,29,083 using forged documents.
The investigation team, formed under the supervision of Superintendent of Police, EOW Varanasi, Pradeep Kumar, included Inspector Ravindra Pratap Yadav, Karunesh Singh, Jai Prakash Mishra, and Head Constable Prince Tiwari.
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