The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch of Odisha Police today arrested two rice mill owners on charge of misappropriation of rice worth about Rs 3 crore, police said.
The accused persons arrested by EOW were identified as Pankaj Agrawalla, Director of Ganapati Parboiling Industries in Bhadrak and Dillip Kumar Agrawalla, Managing Director of Sabitri Industries in Jajpur. Pankaj is a resident of Chowbazar, Baraka in West Burdwan district of West Bengal).
According to Crime Branch DGP B K Sharma, the rice mill owners were arrested based on the FIR registered by Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation in connection with the failure in delivery of rice after receiving paddy.
The Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation had entrusted 66,04 quintal of paddy to Ganapati Industries under the decentralization procurement scheme of the central government, while the mill only delivered 36.39 quintal of rice as a result of which the state exchequer suffered Rs 1.22 crore of consequential loss.
Similarly, Dillip Agrawalla was entrusted of 62,239 quintal of paddy by Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited to deliver the resultant rice of 4242,32287 qunital of rice during the year 2016.
But, Dilip Kumar Agarwalla had delivered only 24,402.12 qunital of rice leaving a balance of 17.92 quintal of rice. In the process, Agarwalla had allegedly misappropriated Rs 2,97,93,570 with consequential loss to the state exchequer.
While Pankaj Agarwalla would be produced before a local court in West Bardman (West Bengal) and will be brought on transit remand for production before SDJM, Bhadrak, Dillip will be produced before the JMFC, Chandikhol in Jajpur district, EOW sources said.
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