Rs 60 lakh worth of wheat goes missing from 2 centres in Uttar Pradesh, probe on
Government wheat stocks totalling 228.764 metric tonnes and valued at nearly Rs 60 lakh have been found missing from two procurement centres of the Provincial Cooperative Federation (PCF) in Uttar Pradesh's Balrampur district, police said on Sunday.
A case has been registered against two officials, including a procurement centre in-charge, while the in-charge secretary has been arrested, police said. The missing stock was detected during surprise inspections carried out at two procurement centres of B-PACS Tulsipur on September 11.
According to the police, the joint inspection was conducted by District Food and Marketing Officer Govind Kumar Upadhyay, Assistant Commissioner (Cooperation) Ajay Kumar Maurya and Additional District Cooperative Officer Devendra Pratap Agrahari.
At one centre, records showed that 420.87 metric tonnes of wheat had been procured during 2026-27, of which 353.759 metric tonnes had been delivered to the Food Corporation of India (FCI). The remaining 67.111 metric tonnes was meant to be stored in the godown, but the inspection team was not given its keys. Police said the godown appeared empty when viewed through its windows.
At the second centre, records showed procurement of 322.600 metric tonnes, of which 160.947 metric tonnes had been delivered to the FCI. The remaining 161.653 metric tonnes was supposed to be stored in the godown, but no physical stock was found, police said.
Based on the minimum support price of Rs 2,605 per quintal, police assessed the total value of the missing wheat at around Rs 60 lakh. Superintendent of Police Martand Prakash Singh said an FIR was registered at Tulsipur police station on a complaint by PCF district manager Ashwani Shukla against in-charge secretary Prakash Singh and centre in-charge Mahendra Mani Tiwari under relevant sections. Police said Prakash Singh has been arrested as the investigation continues. - EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 13, 2026 23:25 IST
