Property of corrupt official attached in J

Srinagar, June 29 (UNI) The Jammu and Kashmir Vigilance Organisation today attached property worth Rs 75 lakh of an official allegedly involved in corrupt practices, an official spokesman said.

The Vigilance Organisation attached the property belonging to Ghulam Rasool Magray, a former employee of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department at Sarnal in the Anantnag district.

The step has been taken under the provisions of Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2006.

The land was purchased by Magray in the name of his father for more Rs 24 lakh on which a two-storey house was constructed worth over 20 lakh, the spokesman added.

He said the present value of the property was estimated to be around Rs 75 lakh. Magray also owns two houses at Nowpachi, Marwah and one at Jammu.

The spokesman said during his posting in Food and Supplies Department, the accused had misappropriated public money to the tune of Rs 9.61 crore between 1997 and 2002 by misuse of his official position and indulged in corrupt practices.

In the course of investigations, Magray was found to have raised a two-storey house at Sarnal, from the money obtained through illegal means.

The modus operandi adopted by the accused was to misappropriate the excess foodgrain drawn against artificially inflated population of Marwah and Warwan blocks in Kishtwar tehsil of Jammu region.

The accused also misappropriated the carriage charges meant for such excess foodgrain between 1997-2002 by subverting the supply at concessional rates through the public distribution system in conspiracy with others, the spokesman added.

He said it was revealed that Magray and others dishonestly and fraudulently inflated list of consumers by incorporating fictitious and repeating the names of already existing ones for diverting the excess foodgrain in black market and for misappropriating the transport carriage charges.

The spokesman said it also surfaced during investigations that against the actual consuming population of 37,900, Magray and other officials inflated the number to 53,500 by fraudulently adding approximately 15,400 non-existent consumers.

In this way, between 1997-2002, approximately 1,70,600 quintals of foodgrain in excess were fraudulently drawn from the government granary for supply to fictitious consumers and their sale proceeds as also the carriage charges misappropriated, he added.

The spokesman said an amount of Rs 9.61 crore was generated by resorting to the illegal practice by Magray and others, causing a huge loss to the state exchequer.

A substantial amount out of this money was found to have been diverted by the accused for construction of his house at Sarnal, Anantnag, which is one of the assets acquired by him, he added.

UNI AG VD BD1604