Chikkaballapur: Officials have seized 14 tonne of wheat allegedly being transported illegally under Karnataka’s Anna Bhagya scheme in Chikkaballapur district, exposing another suspected case of diversion of government food grains meant for welfare beneficiaries.
The seizure was made during a surprise operation by the Shidlaghatta Rural Police near H Cross in Chintamani taluk. Police intercepted a canter truck transporting 250 bags of wheat from Chintamani towards Hoskote and took the vehicle into custody.
According to preliminary investigations, the wheat was reportedly earmarked for students studying in government residential schools in the district. Officials suspect that the food grains were being diverted for illegal sale in the open market instead of reaching the intended beneficiaries.
Case registered
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation to identify those involved in the alleged diversion and determine how the government stock was moved out of the official supply chain.
The incident has once again raised concerns over the recurring misuse of food grains supplied under various welfare schemes. In recent years, authorities have uncovered several cases involving the illegal transportation, storage and sale of rice, wheat, sugar and other commodities distributed through government programmes.
Officials are also examining whether a larger network is involved in diverting subsidised food grains for commercial gain. Further investigation is underway.
