Jamshedpur: Police today arrested eight persons, including seven PDS (Public Distribution System) dealers for allegedly committing fraud in the distribution of food grains.
Those arrested were identified as Mohammed Tanvir, Suresh Ravidas, Ashok Chakraborty Sachin Kumar Das, Rohit Gupta, Mohammed Monahir, Mohammed Modassar, and Rajendra Prasad. While Das who is a resident of Sidhgora is a SIM card dealer, rest of the accused persons are PDS dealers of various localities – Sonari, Jugsalai, Bagbera, Sitaramdera and Ulidih in Mango.
Senior SP, Anoop Birtharay said that the accused PDS dealers used to arrange Aadhaar numbers from people residing in rural areas.
“It is a major breakthrough On the basis of the Aadhaar number, the PDS dealers used to get SIM card issued. These accused would target those customers who do not take food-grains. And by taking benefits of the absence of such customers, they would lift their food grains quota,” said Birtharay.
Birtharay said the racket had been running since the past one year and was confined to a limited area. He said there must be some loophole in the system of lifting ration quota and it is being probed.
In all 438 such SIM cards, 13 cellphones, one laptop and one tablet was seized from the possession of the arrested PDS dealers.
