Kochi police suspect manipulation of e-PoS machines at ration shops

Mismatch between register of offtake and actual stock at shop

April 06, 2022 08:03 pm | Updated 08:04 pm IST - KOCHI

The city police suspect manipulation of the biometric-driven e-PoS machines being used in ration shops after noticing mismatch between the register of offtake and actual stock at a ration shop in Mattancherry on Tuesday.

The stock at the shop was found to be far in excess of the offtake, raising the spectre of diversion to the retail market. This ran counter to the Civil Supplies department’s claim that the introduction of e-PoS machines has eliminated the scope for black marketing and corruption in ration shops.

That a ration shop in Mattancherry assigned to a new licencee, after the previous license was suspended following a police case for diversion of foodgrains last month, has registered a steep fall in daily offtake further reaffirms the modus operandi of using inflated offtake as a ruse to divert foodgrains.

“That this is being done in spite of e-PoS machines raises the suspicion of their manipulation and connivance of Civil Supplies department officials. Collecting the fingerprints of ration card holders for part offtake of foodgrains on a mutual understanding facilitating diversion cannot be ruled out either. While up to 30 kg rice is being given for free to a ration card holder, the same foodgrains when diverted hit the market for ₹40-₹45 a kg,” said V.G. Raveendranath, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mattancherry.

Three cases for diversion of foodgrains have been registered in West Kochi in little over a fortnight. The police suspect the foodgrains to be diverted to a few rice mills in Kalady where they are polished and dispatched to the retail market.

In the latest incident, the Palluruthy police on Wednesday registered a case after diverted foodgrains were recovered from a private godown in a raid. This was based on the reported confession of the accused arrested in the case registered on Tuesday after a similar raid in another private godown in Mattancherry led to the seizure of diverted foodgrains along with the sacks of the Civil Supplies department and equipment for shifting foodgrains to other sacks and sealing it.

The police registered a case under the Essential Commodities Act and the Kerala Rationing Order. However, a report by a rationing inspector to the police claimed that the foodgrains was not meant for the public distribution system on the ground that it was not in the Civil Supplies department’s sacks. Despite that, the police persisted with the case and have since then seized five vehicles as well.

The spectre of black marketing remains further reaffirmed after an inspection conducted by a squad of the Civil Supplies department in 39 ration shops within the limits of the Kochi city rationing office on Wednesday found irregularities in 29. Warning stringent action against the ration shop dealers at fault, the department also suspended the license of the ration shop number 44 in Mattancherry where mismatch between offtake and actual stock was detected by the police.

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