Assam: Massive rice fraud exposed in Karimganj, 200 bags seized

A massive fraud involving rice has been uncovered by the food safety department in Karimganj. Officials have reported the seizure of 200 bags of rice during a raid conducted on July 4.

The officials revealed that the rice bags were being stored with the intention of smuggling them out of Assam to other states. The operation shed light on a local businessman named Najim Uddin, who was found to be associated with hoarding the rice bags in his warehouse.

The seized rice bags weighed approximately 10,000 kilograms, according to officials. It was discovered that the accused had altered the packaging of the rice bags originally sourced from the state government's food, civil supplies, and consumer affairs department, enabling them to smuggle the rice out of Assam.

This incident comes in the wake of another alleged scam that recently surfaced in the public distribution system (PDS) of rice for the weaker sections in the Dhekiajuli area of Assam's Sonitpur district. On June 30, seven individuals, including five fair price shop owners and two employees of a cooperative society, were taken into custody by the Chief Minister's Vigilance Cell for questioning.

The detained individuals, namely Surajit Senapati, Anirudh Pal, Bhaskarjyoti Kar, Khubir Tati, Subrat Bonik, Mridul Taran, and Ashok Ghosh, faced allegations of illicitly selling rice that was intended for deserving beneficiaries. The Chief Minister's Vigilance Cell initiated the arrests after their team arrived in Dhekiajuli to investigate the matter.