Varanasi: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Varanasi, on Friday arrested two ration dealers involved in a food grain scam that took place in 2004–05 in Jaunpur district.The arrested dealers were identified as Mohammad Ahmad and Lalbahadur Maurya. They were produced before the corruption court in Varanasi, from where they were sent to jail.According to EOW officials, between 2004 and 2005, under the Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana operated by the government in Jaunpur district, works such as construction of drains, link roads and soil filling were proposed to be carried out in various villages of Machhlishahr development block.Labourers engaged in the work were to be given foodgrain (rice) in lieu of wages, but the then BDO, work in-charge, ration dealers and others allegedly committed financial irregularities and failed to distribute the foodgrain.In this connection, a case was registered in 2019 at the EOW police station in Varanasi. The arrested accused are ration shop operators who, in collusion with others, allegedly embezzled government funds amounting to Rs 6,29,083 using forged documents.The team constituted by superintendent of police, EOW Varanasi, Pradeep Kumar, included inspector Ravindra Pratap Yadav, Karunesh Singh, Jai Prakash Mishra, and head constable Prince Tiwari.
