Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 6: The State Vigilance Organization today arrested four officials of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department (FCS&CAD) for their involvement in misappropriation of ration and food grain items.
The arrested officials have been identified as Amar Singh, then Tehsil Supply Officer (TSO) Billawar, Jaswant Singh, presently TSO Hiranagar, Lakshman Dass, then Storekeeper Billawar and Beli Ram, then Salesman of Malhar and Kindi Depots.
The investigations carried out by the Vigilance Organization revealed that during the period of April 2009 to February 2010, food grains and ration received by TSO Billawar from AD FCS&CAD Kathua for disbursement to different categories of population (under different categories i.e. APL, BPL etc) living in far flung areas of Malhar and Kindli have been misappropriated in connivance with Storekeeper at Billawar Store and Salesmen of Malhar/ Kindli depots.
Further investigations showed that the accused officers and officials of the department by abuse of their official positions with ulterior motives entered into criminal conspiracy with each other and misappropriated huge quantity of ration/food grain items meant for disbursement to the beneficiaries and other weaker sections of the society living in far flung areas of Billawar in Kathua district causing corresponding losses to the State exchequer.
All the accused officials were today taken into custody from Hiranagar and Billawar in district Kathua by the sleuths of Vigilance Organization and were lodged in Pacca Danga police station for sustained questioning.