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Agency searches premises of FCI officials, private rice millers and grain merchants in Punjab and Chandigarh under Operation Kanak II
In a massive crackdown on corruption in the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the Central Investigation Bureau (CBI) on Tuesday conducted searches across 50 locations in Punjab under the second phase of ‘Operation Kanak’.
CBI launched Operation Kanak part 1 in January this year.
The agency carried out searches under operation Kanak-II at around 50 locations including Mansa, Hoshiarpur, Mukerian, Roopnagar, Patiala, Sirhind, Fatehgarh Sahib, Mohali, Moga, Firozpur, Ludhiana, Sangrur etc in Punjab and Chandigarh at the premises of FCI officials, private rice millers and grain merchants in an on-going investigation of a case.
Incriminating documents and digital devices have so far been recovered during searches. The operation was launched to break the nexus of channelized corruption in FCI, CBI spokesperson RC Joshi in a statement.
Based on the scrutiny of documents, interrogation of arrested accused, statement of witnesses, examination of persons acquainted with facts of the case and analysis of technical data had allegedly revealed that FCI officials, private rice millers and grain merchants were part of a well-organized syndicate and the recipients of huge bribe amounts collected during the process of procurement in FCI.
He said that Tuesday’s ‘Operation Kanak-II was a part of the effort to ascertain the quantum and scale of ongoing corruption in FCI and to unearth the sequence of larger conspiracy amongst the inter-connected participants.
This comes in connection with FIR registered against 74 accused including serving (34) and retired officials (3) of FCI, private persons (17), and other entities, etc by the CBI. According to the FIR, an organised syndicate of FCI officers charged bribes ranging from ₹1,000 to ₹4,000 per truck unloaded at godowns from private millers to cover up lower quality grains supplied by them and to extend other favours. The bribes were distributed among officers at every level reaching up to the headquarters in a well-defined percentage of cuts at each level, it alleged.
Earlier, a massive operation under the name of ‘Operation Kanak’ was conducted in January 2023 against the unholy nexus of channelized corruption adopted by FCI officials, private Rice Millers and Grain Merchants by way of paying undue gratification to certain officials of FCI for getting undue favours.
CBI earlier arrested DGM (quality control/personnel) RO, Chandigarh; a proprietor of a firm based at Kharar (Punjab) and a Manager (Lab), FCI, DO, Chandigarh.
During searches at around 99 locations, ₹1.03 crore, FDRs to the extent of over ₹3 crores, documents related to various properties, incriminating documents and digital devices etc. were recovered.
