Food official faces embezzlement probe

Inquiry launched after confiscation, sale of flour worth Rs38.44m from two trucks belonging to flour mill

RAWALPINDI:

The Deputy Director FIA and SHO Anti-Corruption have launched an inquiry into a complaint against the District Food Controller Islamabad, Allah Bachayo, regarding alleged embezzlement of funds after the confiscation and sale of flour worth Rs38.44 million from two heavy trucks belonging to a major flour mill in the open market.

According to details, the officials summoned the district food controller after initiating the investigation. Flour mill owners, along with the Flour Mills Association, also staged strong protests over the matter.

During the FIA inquiry, the complaint was reportedly found to be prima facie correct. FIA officials, in the presence of food department officers, FIA teams, and representatives of the Flour Mills Association, recovered Rs23.784 million from the official's bank account, while a further Rs14.65 million has been demanded.

The recovery has caused concern within the food department, with fears that several similar complaints may now emerge. The trucks in question were seized in February this year, after which mill owner Abdul Samad Sethi filed a complaint with the FIA Islamabad alleging misappropriation.