In a major crackdown on the multi-crore paddy scam that has rocked the state’s procurement agencies, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnal Police has arrested five officials for their alleged involvement in “ghost procurement.” The arrests were made late Friday night, exposing a deep-rooted nexus between government officials, rice millers, and commission agents (arhtiyas).
The accused have been identified as Davinder Kumar (Inspector, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Taraori), Randhir Singh (Inspector, Food, Civil Supplies, Indri), Parmod Kumar (Manager, HAFED, Assandh), Darshan Singh (Manager, HAFED, Nissing), and Pardeep (Technical Assistant, Haryana Warehousing Corporation).
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Kaanchi Singhal, who is leading the SIT, confirmed that the officials were arrested in connection with separate FIRs registered at Taraori, Butana, Assandh, and Indri police stations. The investigation revealed that these officials facilitated the issuance of bogus gate passes for paddy that never physically arrived at the grain markets. “The records were manipulated to show inflated purchases. In many cases, the shortfall was covered by adjusting cheap paddy brought from other states like Uttar Pradesh against these fake government procurements,” Singhal explained.
The accused were produced before a local court on Saturday. The court granted two-day police remand for four of the officials, while Pardeep was sent to one-day remand. Police sources indicate that the interrogation is likely to expose more high-ranking officials and millers involved in the syndicate. So far, six FIRs have been registered regarding the 2025-26 procurement season scam, where physical verification exposed massive discrepancies between official stock records and actual inventory.
