The Delhi Police has busted a gang reportedly involved in awarding fake tenders for printing of ration cards under the Centre's 'One Nation, One Ration Card' initiative, Union minister RaoSaheb Dadarao Danve said on Tuesday.
Jharkhand-based mastermind in the case Pratush Kumar and his aid Vikas Kumar have been arrested in this connection in the national capital, he said.
Under the 'One Nation, One Ration Card', the central government is making ration cards portable so that the beneficiaries can buy subsidised foodgrains from ration shops in any part of the country. But there is no requirement of fresh ration cards to avail this service.
"No fresh ration card is required under the initiative, but the gang faked documents to show that such a requirement was there and a tender has been issued to a private company for sub-contracting the printing of plastic cards linked with Aadhar details across the country," the Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs said at a press conference.
On February 6, the minister said his office had approached the police and complained that it was receiving information about some fraudsters duping unsuspecting individuals in the name of issuing ration cards contract.
New Delhi DCP Eish Singhal said a team was constituted on receipt of information from the ministry, but it could not make any breakthrough in the absence of any individual victim.
However on March 2, one of the victims namely Bhagwat Sahebaro Wayal of Maharasthra approached the Union food ministry and complained about the matter, he said, adding a team was constituted to look into the matter.
The complainant said his friend had informed him that companies like Kalvin Pvt Ltd, FSS Pvt Ltd, Tannu Global and Mahindra MIT have got contracts to print ration cards for Maharashtra under the new initiative. He and his friend paid a large sum to get the contract, Singhal said.
Later, the complainant and his associate signed an agreement with FSS Pvt Ltd at Hariya Bypass Ranchi and they were shown copies of all necessary documents from the ministry regarding the initiative, he said.
Before coming to Ranchi, the DCP said Rs 8 lakh had been agreed for the contract of one district which was later escalated to Rs 15 lakh, of which Rs 9 lakh was to be given in advance and the rest to be deducted from the payment accrue on commencement of the job.
The complainant, however, got suspicious of the documents and came to Delhi and enquired from the ministry about the scheme.
The police said Wayal got Rs 3.5 lakh out of Rs 10 lakh paid.
The DCP said a trap was set up and the two were arrested in Delhi, adding a search is on for three more persons associated with the gang.
Accused Pratush Kumar, 38, is from Chatra and been cheating unsuspecting individuals under the garb of his company M/S Friends Securities Pvt Ltd along with his other associates, while his aid Vikash, 25, is from Ranchi.
Meanwhile, the Union minister cautioned people not to fall prey to such gangs as the government has not awarded any tender to print new ration cards.
Currently, the government is implementing the ration card portability in 12 states and eight more states will be added by June 1.
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