SONEPUR: Sambalpur Vigilance on Thursday arrested Service Co-operative Society (SCS), Tarbha, Secretary Chaturbhuja Sandha and one Ramesh Agrawalla on charges of making fake paddy transactions.
They have been accused of entering into criminal conspiracy, making fake paddy transactions using fake Farmer Identity Cards (FICs) by manipulating official records and cheating the State Government for pecuniary gain. Further investigation into the matter is on.
The fake farmers have been identified as Nanda Kishore Bishi, Bishnu Kumbhar, Bhimsen Sa, Bhagirathi Sa, Prasanta Bishi, Ramjee Herna, Parme Bagh, Ranjit Bagarty, Hursiram Bagh, Karuna Dalbehera, Tahasil Bagh, Jitendra Nayak, Prafulla Nayak and Ajodhya Bishi.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the Secretary, Chaturbhuja Sandha, had showed to have purchased paddy in the name of persons who do not have valid Farmer Identity Cards. He mentioned about purchasing paddy from farmers having yield of more than 10 to 20 quintals of paddy.
The Secretary, in connivance with Ramesh Agrawalla, also of Tarbha, prepared fake FICs in the name of the landless persons namely Ranjeet Bahgarti, Jaga Sandha, Bhimsen Sa and Parme Bagh.
Similarly, Tahasil Bagh, Hursiram Bagh, Bishnu Kumbhar, Ajoydhya Bishi and Nanda Kishore Bishi are having less then three acres of land but they were showed to have sold more than 1,000 quintals of paddy to Tarbha Primary Agricultural Co-operative Societies (PACS).
It is learnt that an amount of `2,54,88,480 was withdrawn by Ramesh Agrawalla through cheques from the accounts of the above farmers. The paddy recorded to have been purchased by the SCS could be either from outside the district or from distressed farmers at prices lower than the minimum support price (MSP).