3 held for 5.13 crore scam in Food and Supply Dept

Lucknow, June 17 (UNI) Three persons were arrested here this morning for the Rs 5.13 crore scam in the Food and Supply Department in Basti district.

Three inter-state conmen Rakesh Kumar Mishra alias Laddu, Ramchat Tiwari and Rajendra Pratap Singh were nabbed, on a tip-off, near Badshahnagar Railway Station in Mahanagar area, SSP B P Jogdand told reporters at a press meet here.

On being frisked, Rs 3.46 lakh was recovered from their possession.

While Laddu and Ramchat hail from Gonda, Rajendra belongs to Basti.

On May 22, the department's account officer Jagropan had lodged an FIR at Kotwali police station, Basti, against Anil Kumar Gupta, proprietor of Om Traders, his aides and other in the over Rs 5.13 crore scam.

Mastermind of the scam, Gupta, his associates Ravi Pandey, Virendra Kumar, Ram Prakash and others were charged with scanning the cheques issued by the Food and Supply Department in favour of the foodgrain supply firm. They later used to withraw the amount from several banks in Basti through fake cheques.

The SSP said on interrogation, the accused confessed the crime, stating they indulged in the crime after a contractor in Bhagnan area of Basti Mushtaq Ahmad showed them this tempting way to earn money.

The accused claimed Ahmad also had connections with officials of the Food and Supply Department.

On June 8, police had arrested four other accused in Basti. Vipin Pathak, who is also one of the accused, had already been arrested earlier and is presently in jail. So far, nine persons had been held in this connection.

Three Department's employees, including accounts officer Jagropan and two clerks had been suspended recently for dereliction of duty.

The case is being investigated by ASP Ashok Kumar and DSP Ashutosh Shukla.

UNI