Naidunia Correspondent, Balaghat | The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has intensified its action in the alleged rice scam in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday. The SIT arrested three rice mill owners and a manager for carrying out a scam involving government fortified rice in the name of making ethanol at the plants in the state. The investigating agency is now preparing to seek remand of all the accused.
Six other individuals have been detained and are being interrogated. This action brings the number of accused arrested in the case to eight, while four are still absconding.
Rice Worth Rs 1,100 Crore Suspected Of Being Misappropriated
The SIT investigation has raised suspicions that fortified rice worth approximately Rs 1,100 crore was misappropriated through 22 ethanol plants located in 17 districts of the state. The entire case was uncovered on June 3rd after a truck carrying 242 quintals of government rice was seized in Balaghat. After this, the scope of the investigation continued to expand.
How The Alleged Rice Scam Was Carried Out
According to the state government's policy, old and unsuitable rice stored in FCI warehouses is to be used for ethanol production. This arrangement also includes fortified rice left over from distribution. This rice is made available to ethanol plant operators at a rate of Rs. 2,320 per quintal.
According to the investigation, instead of using this rice for ethanol production, some operators sold it to rice mills at a rate of Rs. 2,800 per quintal. This generated a profit of approximately Rs. 480 per quintal for the rice mill operators. Later, this rice was made available to the government in new packaging under the established procedure, saving the cost of custom milling and fortification.
According to police sources, the SIT has arrested Bihari Patel, operator of the Bihari Rice Mill in Naitra, and his manager, Surendra, operator of the Shanti Rice Mill, and Gaurav Maheshwari, operator of the Viraj Rice Mill in Garra.
The investigating agency states that the SIT reached these rice mills based on the interrogation of previously arrested accused and suspects, and the evidence gathered. During interrogation, the accused admitted that government-fortified rice sent from the FCI warehouse in Balaghat to the ethanol plant in Chhindwara was also reaching their rice mills.
Sancheti Family And A Relative Of BJP Leader Under Scanner
The SIT has also detained and begun questioning a member of the Sancheti Rice Mill family, where the entire case was exposed. Sources indicate that Rajesh Sancheti, brother of Gambhir Sancheti and uncle of Saurabh Sancheti, may also be arrested soon. However, Gambhir Sancheti and his son, Saurabh Sancheti, remain at large. Sources also indicate that the nephew of a BJP leader has also been detained and is being continuously interrogated in the case.
Important Documents Seized, Raids Conducted In Several States
The SIT has seized important documents from the three arrested rice mill owners and managers. These include the storage capacity of rice mills and warehouses, stock accounts, and other records. The investigating agency hopes that the interrogation and documents may yield new clues. SIT teams are continuously conducting raids in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh in search of the absconding accused.