Food inspector, 6 others booked for stealing 140 wheat bags

SUKKUR: The Thull police have booked seven people, including a food inspector, for stealing 140 bags of wheat from a godown on Station Road.

The police have also impounded a truck loaded with wheat bags and the authorities have suspended food inspector Abdul Salam Khoso.

On Friday night, Khoso and a few other men were loading wheat bags onto a truck from a private rice mill’s godown. The rice mill belongs to the food inspector’s friend, Attaullah Khoso.

Thull SHO Saeed Ahmed Jumani and his team raided the godown on a tipoff. Even though they managed to take the vehicle (TKY-517) into custody, the suspects managed to escape. Jumani lodged an FIR No. 17/2011 on behalf of the state but they have yet to make any arrests.

Jumani told The Express Tribune that the accused are absconding and they are conducting raids for their arrest. He said that the impounded truck has the capacity to hold 400 bags and the police were fortunate to have stopped the suspects while they were still loading.

Mean while, Larkana food department deputy director suspended the food inspector nominated in the FIR and has ordered an inquiry.

The Jacobabad district food controller, Chungal Shah, said that he had complained to the authorities against the food inspector earlier for stealing wheat from the godown. Since the FIR was lodged and he was suspended, Khoso has not shown up for work. After an inquiry, further departmental action will also be taken against him, he added.

Shah alleged that some police officers are also involved in these thefts but his claims were refuted by Jumani, who said that Shah’s involvement cannot be ruled out.

An official said that Khoso had kept official wheat in his friend’s private godown. He had also stolen 4,000 to 5,000 wheat bags. A few journalists pointed this out some time ago and Khoso tried to bribe them. He also equalled the count by storing stale wheat in place of the stolen bags, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2011.