ED storms nine locations in West Bengal to crack down on the massive PDS wheat scam

The Enforcement Directorate launched early morning raids at nine locations across Kolkata, Burdwan, and Habra. The crackdown targets suppliers and exporters linked to a large-scale diversion of subsidised PDS wheat. Officials say the accused removed FCI markings from gunny bags to pass stolen grain into open markets.

ED descends on nine locations across Bengal in PDS wheat fraud case

The Enforcement Directorate hit nine locations across West Bengal on Saturday morning. The searches targeted premises linked to the ongoing money laundering investigation in the Public Distribution System scam. Officials confirmed the raids began early and continued through the day.

The ED conducted all searches under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). Premises of suppliers and exporters in Kolkata, Burdwan, and Habra came under the scanner. All searched locations have links to accused Nirajan Chandra Saha and his associates.

FIR from 2020 triggered the ED’s sweeping investigation

The ED’s Kolkata zonal office anchored the entire operation. Investigators traced their probe back to a West Bengal Police FIR from October 23, 2020. The complaint originated from the Deputy Commissioner of Customs at Ghojadanga Land Customs Station. That complaint flagged massive diversion of wheat meant for government welfare schemes.

The raids covered a wide network of premises. Officers searched the office and home of Susanto Saha and his firm Sagar Enterprises in North 24 Parganas. Samir Kumar Chandra, Partha Saha, and his firm Adarsha International at Habra also faced searches. Premises raided also included Maa Annapurna Rice Concern and Cynax Aannaapurna Udyog Private Limited in Burdwan. Daulat Ram Gupta in Northpara and Kanchan Som in Burdwan were also searched.

Accused used a clever system to divert wheat from the poor

The ED disclosed a calculated scheme behind the PDS wheat scam. The agency stated, “The accused adopted a systematic modus operandi to divert PDS wheat meant for welfare beneficiaries.”

Investigators found that cheap, subsidised wheat entered the supply chain through back channels. “The wheat was procured at low prices through unauthorised channels, in collusion with suppliers, licensed distributors, dealers, and middlemen,” said the agency.

Large volumes of this grain were pulled out of the official supply chain. “Large quantities were illegally diverted from the supply chain and aggregated at multiple locations,” the ED added.

FCI markings stripped off bags to hide the stolen grain’s origin

The accused went further to hide their tracks. They physically removed the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state government markings from gunny bags. New markings replaced the original ones. The stolen wheat then entered open markets or export channels disguised as legitimate stock.

The ED explained: “To conceal its origin, the accused removed or reversed the original gunny bags bearing Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state government markings and refilled them, thereby hiding identifying features and passing off the PDS wheat as legitimate stock for further sale in the open market or export, resulting in undue enrichment of the accused persons and generation of Proceeds of Crime.”

This scam robbed genuine welfare beneficiaries of their rightful food entitlements. The investigation is actively ongoing, and further action is expected soon.