Former district food supply controller and four others arrested in paddy scam

In a major development in the alleged paddy procurement scam of the 2025-26 season, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested four more officials, including a former District Food Supply Controller of Karnal, two current secretaries of the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board, and a suspended market committee secretary.

The arrested officials have been identified as Anil Kumar, former District Food Supply Controller of Karnal; Asha Rani, former secretary of the Karnal Market Committee; Deepak Suhag, secretary of the Market Committee Jundla; and Krishna Dhankhar, secretary of the Market Committee Assandh.

Anil Kumar was previously arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau in a separate case registered in Gurugram and was brought to Karnal on a production warrant. He is accused of taking commission in connection with a case registered at the Taraori grain market.

Asha Rani, who was already the main accused in an FIR filed at the City Police Station and was suspended, was out on bail in that case. She has now been arrested in another FIR filed at Karnal’s Sadar Police Station on October 30 last year, alleging the issuance of fake gate passes. Deepak Suhag was arrested in the same case, while Krishna Dhankhar was detained in connection with an FIR filed at the Assandh Police Station on November 11.

The SIT, working under the supervision of ASP Kanchi Singhal, has so far investigated five of the six FIRs registered in the district.

According to the police, the accused officials allegedly issued fake gate passes to help some millers demonstrate the purchase of paddy that never actually reached the grain markets. Fake entries were then made in official records, which investigators have termed “ghost paddy purchases.”

Police Superintendent Narendra Bijarnia said that strict action will be taken against all those involved.

He said, “This is not just a case of irregularities, but a breach of public trust. No one, no matter how big, will be spared. The law will take its course.” He added, “We are pursuing the evidence, no matter where it leads. The Karnal Police is fully prepared to expose the entire network behind this deliberate fraud.”

Earlier, on February 7, the SIT arrested five officials in five related FIRs. These included two inspectors from the Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Department, two managers from the Haryana State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation units, and a technical assistant from the Haryana Warehousing Corporation. They were also allegedly involved in issuing fake gate passes.

In addition to the five FIRs, a sixth case was registered at the City Police Station when a large quantity of paddy shown as purchased in government records was found to be non-existent, indicating systematic manipulation of procurement data.

Ten people have been arrested so far in the sixth FIR, including an employee of the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board, a commission agent, and a miller-cum-commission agent.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Kisan Union praised the arrests and demanded a thorough investigation. Union spokesperson Bahadur Singh Mehla said, “It’s a good step that the police have arrested four officials. This case should be thoroughly investigated so that all those involved in this scam can be exposed.”