KOCHI: The CBI has filed a chargesheet against four persons, including an official of Food Corporation of India (FCI) depot at Meenangadi in Wayanad, for diverting food stocks to the black market, at CBI Court in Kochi. The CBI has turned five persons as approvers in the case. The chargesheet was filed against Gireeshan P A, assistant with FCI’s Food Supply Depot (FSD) at Meenangadi and native of Kozhikode; Aboobacker Perumballi, a ration shop proprietor at Kolathur in Malappuram; Ganeshan R, a ration shop proprietor at Vythiri in Wayanad; and Assain A K, a ration shop proprietor at Chundale in Wayanad.
The CBI has given a clean chit to R C Ramakrishnan, former manager of FSD Meenangadi, but recommended a department-level action against him for his negligence. The CBI has turned Nazar Mondadan, Raveendharan P E, Praveen Kumar T M, Ramath P E and Bhaskaran V K, all ration shop dealers in Kozhikode and Wayanad districts, as approvers in the case.
It was in 2017 the CBI started the probe after it was revealed that food stocks- 2,399 full bags of rice worth `38,79, 681 from FSD Meenangadi-were diverted to the black market. However, after turning various ration dealers as approvers, CBI concluded that only 831 bags of rice worth `13.4 lakh were diverted in four instances.
The case was probed by CBI inspector Emmanuel Angel. Charges against the accused persons were IPC sections 120B, 420, 409, 468, 471 and Prevention of Corruption Act section 13(2) and 13(1)(c)(a). The CBI has listed 54 witnesses, 95 documents and one material object in the chargesheet. The CBI is also probing another case in which food stocks from FSD Meenangadi were diverted to agencies in Kasaragod.
Probe initiated in 2017
It was in 2017 the CBI started the probe after it was revealed that food stocks- 2,399 full bags of rice worth C38,79, 681 from FSD Meenangadi-were diverted to the black market