Nagpur: Acting on a tip-off, Supply Department officials led by Zonal Officer Sagar Suresh Bavre conducted a raid around 9 pm on Sunday at a tin shed near Shubh Kirana and General Store in Taj Nagar, Tukdoji Putla area, and uncovered an illegal operation involving the sale of government rice.
Upon reaching the spot, officials found that rice was being loaded into an Eicher truck (MH 40 CM 0235) from the shed. In the presence of panch witnesses, officials questioned the workers loading the rice. The workers claimed the rice belonged to Mohammad Wasim Mohammad Rafiq, who, they said, was away and would return soon.
Gold Rate
02 july 2025
When Mohammad Wasim eventually arrived, officials questioned him about the approximately 200 bags of rice being loaded, and demanded purchase-sale records and required licenses. He failed to produce any documents and stated he would submit them later.
Inspection of the rice revealed that the bags contained fortified rice grains — supplied by the government to improve nutritional value and distributed to beneficiaries under public welfare schemes. Based on this finding, samples were collected, and both the rice and the Eicher truck were seized as government property.
A case was subsequently registered at Ajni Police Station under Sections 3 and 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.
The raid resulted in the seizure of goods worth approximately Rs 14 lakh. The operation was carried out under the guidance of Food Distribution Officer Vinod Kale, with active participation from Zonal Officer Sagar Bavre, and officials Dipali Bansod and Vaibhav Khairkar.
The Supply Department has appealed to the public to report any illegal buying or selling of fortified government rice. The rice is meant strictly for distribution to eligible beneficiaries to enhance their nutritional intake. Any misuse or unauthorized sale will be dealt with strictly under the law.
