A month after the seizure of 110 metric tonnes of rice, meant for public distribution system (PDS), from a godown in Palaspa in Panvel, the police have found out that the accused had exported 32,827 metric tonnes of rice worth around ₹82 crore to 13 countries in South Africa since January 1. As many as 18 accused have been identified, and three of them from Karnataka have been arrested so far.
On July 31, the Panvel police along with revenue department officials had raided Take Care Logistics in Palaspe and seized 110 tonnes of rice packed in 2,220 sacks with labels of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), Asian Rice, Government of Punjab, and Government of Haryana. The seized rice, worth ₹33 lakh, belonged to the FCI, which was supposed to be disbursed under the PDS. “Realising that the scope of probe was going to be vast, we formed a special investigation team,” Sanjay Kumar, Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner, said.
The team found leads to Karnataka and stayed there for around 15 days to investigate the case. “Till now, we have identified 18 accused of which three have been arrested,” Mr. Kumar said.
The three have been identified as Navnath Loku Rathod (25), Sattar Chandsaahab Sayyed (25), and Krishna Damo Pawar (45), all residents of Vijapur in Karnataka, who ran ration shops.
Of the 13 countries where the exports were made, the maximum was made to Mozambique which had received 11,000 metric tonnes of rice. Even as the black marketing of rice was happening before the lockdown, the frequency and quantity increased during the lockdown period as the government had started distributing more amount of rice to the needy. “The rice meant for PDS was coming from Haryana and Punjab and currently, we have found a trail to Karnataka,” Mr. Kumar said.
After the seizure in the Take Care Logistics godown, the police found an invoice that said that the rice came from Dhanlakshmi enterprises in Barshi, Solapur. The police later found that such firm did not exist.
“We then found the truck that transported the rice to the godown. The driver told us that the rice was purchased from Barshi APMC market and gave the receipt of the cess paid at the market. APMC market officials confirmed that it was a forged receipt and hence we added sections of forgery in the case,” police inspector Sandeepan Shinde said.
As per the invoice, the rice came from Barshi and was to go to Zenith Impex in Khalapur but it neither came from Barshi nor reached the Khalapur firm. “From another truck driver we found that the rice was loaded in Karnataka and it never went to Barshi,” Mr. Shinde said.
“The modus operandi was to get rice from Karnataka, then bring it to the godown in Panvel, get them repacked in different names, and then export it to various countries from JNPT port. We have identified three logistic firms and seven agents involved in the case,” senior police inspector Ajay Landge from Panvel police station said.
As of now, the police have found three export firms in Maharashtra — Mirande Industries in Bhiwandi, Zenit Impex in Khalapur, and Jay Food Production in Khalapur. In a raid on all three firms, the police found 860, 808, and eight empty sacks, respectively.
The main accused, Lakhan Patel, with a criminal background and Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act charges against him, is linked to all the three export companies. JIndatt Industries in Ahmedabad is also suspected to be involved in the crime and has been served a summons.
“The rice was procured in three ways — directly from ration shops due to the absence of ration cardholders, excess quota during the pandemic, and from agents who would purchase the rice from people who would have got it free under the PDS. Due to the pandemic, the biometric system while collecting ration was stopped of which the accused took advantage,” Mr. Landge said.
