CBI crackdown after FCI DGM’s arrest on graft charge; lens on other officials

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday launched a crackdown on alleged corruption in the Food Corporation of India (FCI), conducting searches at 50 locations across Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi after arresting a senior official, officials said.

The roles of officials — ranging from technical assistants to executive directors — in the FCI are under the agency’s scanner, they said.

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The searches were started after the arrest of a Deputy General Manager (DGM) in the FCI, who was allegedly caught taking a bribe of Rs 50,000, they mentioned.

They said the operation was spread across multiple cities in Punjab and Haryana and two locations in Delhi.

The sources said the agency has started the operation against an “unholy nexus of corruption” in the FCI involving a chain of officers, rice mill owners, grain merchants, etc., engaged in the procurement, storage, and distribution of food grains, they added.

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They also mentioned the CBI was gathering intelligence for the past six months following many complaints it received, adding that the role of state government employees will also be investigated.

(With agency inputs)