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Journalism of Courage
This is an archive article published on April 30, 2019
Vadodara: Stock worth Rs 3 crore missing, 9 civil supplies staff booked
On Saturday, the deputy manager of Gujarat State Civil Supplies Corporation’s Godhra office, Suresh Vasava lodged a complaint at Kalol police station identifying nine accused and other unidentified staff members of the godown, based on an internal audit report that found less stock than what was on paper.
Police has formed two teams to investigate the alleged scam.(Representational Image)
Kalol police have booked nine employees of the Gujarat State Civil Supplies godown in Kalol of Panchmahal district for their alleged involvement in siphoning of stock worth Rs 3 crore from the government storehouse. On Saturday, the deputy manager of Gujarat State Civil Supplies Corporation’s Godhra office, Suresh Vasava lodged a complaint at Kalol police station identifying nine accused and other unidentified staff members of the godown, based on an internal audit report that found less stock than what was on paper.
Police has formed two teams to investigate the alleged scam. “We have received a copy of the initial audit report based on which irregularities were observed,” Investigating officer of the case Mahesh Damor said. “The FIR is based on the independent probe carried out by the deputy manager of Gujarat State Civil Supplies Corporation.” He said arrests would be made onlyonce evidence is collected.
All the accused were booked under IPC sections 406 (Punishment for criminal breach of trust), 409 (Criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent), 420 (Cheating), 120 B ( Punishment of criminal conspiracy).
The accused identified in the FIR include former manager incharge of the godown GA Parmar,present manager who has been suspended from his duties SK Vasava, internal auditor Mehul Patel, labour incharge Sunil Beldar, his brother Mahendra Beldar and nephew Chintan Beldar, deputy managers of the godown KR Deval and Lalji Maheshwari and assistant auditor Vishal Damor.
According to the complaint, Suresh Vasava had got a hint of the irregularities while going through the audit report of the godown for the year 2018-19 which was filed by the auditor Mehul Patel and his assistant on March 31. When Vasava had tried to investigate the irregularities, the auditor tried to bribe him with Rs 25,000. Following this, Vasava initiated a full-fledged investigation and found irregularities in the stock of civil supplies amounting to more than Rs 3 crore and listed that in the audit report.
The audit showed that the total stock quantity capacity of the godown was 1,626 metric tonne as against actual available capacity of 950 metric tonne. As per his independent investigation, Vasava found out that there was a shortfall of 7,246.82 kg of wheat worth Rs 2,73,30,712, 1,350 kg of rice worth Rs 70,28,941, nine quintals of sugar worth Rs 72,000 and cotton tins each costing Rs 2,564, whose exact quantity is unavailable, all amounting to a total of Rs 3,44,39,345, as against what was listed in the physical records during the audit.
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