Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigators have created a list of almost 1,000 rice and wheat mills that were either directly or indirectly implicated in the fraud, looking into the West Bengal ration distribution case.
According to sources, the list was compiled based on the individuals’ connections to those who have previously been detained and are already in judicial prison for their suspected roles in the scam, including Jyotipriya Mallick, the former minister of food and supplies for West Bengal.
According to sources, these rice and wheat mills received a large percentage of the high-quality goods, purchased for distribution under the fair-price system. These mills were then in charge of selling the goods at premium prices in open markets or to businesses that marketed packaged rice and packaged wheat.
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ED investigators will question owners of some of these wheat and rice mills, according to the officials, in order to verify the authenticity of the papers that the investigating officials have already seized on this count.
MSP’s role in Bengal Ration Distribution case
According to sources, the primary minds behind the purported scam devised a two-tier profit-making philosophy at every stage of the operation. Initially, they created several fictitious farmers’ cooperatives with the help of a confidant, and via these organisations they were able to purchase wheat from the farmers at prices below the minimum support price (MSP).
The next tier was the sale of the same foods at premium pricing at open markets or through businesses involved in the marketing of packaged foods. Fair price stores were to offer these food.
According to insiders, the substantial gains amassed during the scheme were a result of the multi-tiered scam procedure. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has already notified a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kolkata that, based on preliminary findings, the entire amount at stake in the ration distribution case is approximately Rs 10,000 crore, and that figure could rise as the investigation continues.
