Daijiworld Media Network - Srinagar

Srinagar, Jul 6: The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday registered a case in connection with an alleged Rs 5.57 crore food grain embezzlement in Kupwara district, booking five officials of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) Department and nine Fair Price Shop (FPS) dealers.

In a statement, the ACB said FIR No. 02/2026 was registered at the ACB Police Station in Baramulla under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended, along with relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, after obtaining the required sanction from the competent authority.

The case was initiated following a communication from the Director of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, Kashmir, recommending criminal proceedings after departmental inspections and physical verification allegedly uncovered large-scale shortages of government food grains in the Karnah area of Kupwara district.

According to the ACB, a joint surprise inspection of government sale centres and Fair Price Shops revealed a shortage of 4,175.89 quintals of food grains.

Investigators alleged that the missing stock resulted in a financial loss of Rs 5,57,18,657.25 to the government. The bureau claimed the misappropriation was carried out through a criminal conspiracy involving public servants and private beneficiaries, who allegedly diverted food grains entrusted to them for public distribution for unlawful financial gain.

Among those named in the FIR are Umar Bashir alias Raja Umer, then Assistant Storekeeper, and Ashiq Hussain Mir, also serving as Assistant Storekeeper at the time, along with 12 other accused comprising government officials and Fair Price Shop dealers.

Following the registration of the case, the Anti-Corruption Bureau conducted searches at multiple locations linked to the accused and initiated further legal proceedings as part of its ongoing investigation into the alleged scam.