PDS ‘scam’: ED attaches assets linked to former minister Mallick, 2 others

The attached assets include 48 immovable properties of different people and entities including Mallick’s house in Salt Lake, Bolpur, several other “benami properties” held in the name of his close associates, two hotels of Rahaman in Kolkata and Bengaluru each, bank balance in various accounts and fixed deposits, the ED said in a statement.

Mallick allegedly “received” some of these immovable properties worth more than crores of rupees as “gifts” in the name of his family members or close associates, it said. Adhya is a TMC leader from Bongaon under North 24 Parganas district.

The ED said the book value of these assets is Rs 50.47 crore while their market value is estimated to be significantly more than Rs 150 crore. It has claimed that “proceeds of crime” worth more than Rs 10,000 crore were generated through this alleged scam which the agency began investigating after taking cognisance of some West Bengal Police FIRs.

The ED complaint alleged that some private persons were found in unauthorised possession of rations meant for delivery through the Public Distribution System and were found to be involved in bogus procurement of paddy.

It alleged that there were majorly three ways through which the PDS ration was pilfered and the alleged scam was perpetrated. These included siphoning of PDS ration to open market, mixing old wheat flour in fresh flour meant for PDS distribution and bogus paddy procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP).

A “huge” amount of the proceeds was “laundered” to Dubai and other nations by converting the Indian rupee into foreign currencies through full-fledged money changer companies owned or controlled by Adhya, the ED has claimed.

So far, the agency has filed two charge sheets in this case against Mallick, Rahaman and a company called NPG Rice Mill.