Two employees of Food & Supplies dept held for graft

Two employees of the state Food and Supplies department were arrested for drawing subsidised foodgrains from ration shops by manufacturing fake ration cards. According to police, on January 16, this year, the Rationing Officer of the Beliaghata area lodged a complaint at the Entally Police Station alleging that a ration dealer, identified as Kartick Manna, had manufactured some ration cards. Later, he used those forged documents and office identity documents to draw subsidised foodgrains from different ration shops, thus gaining around Rs 1.89 lakh as commission. A few weeks ago, Manna was arrested. He gave the names of two employees of the state Food and Supplies department who had helped him. On Monday, one of the accused persons was arrested, identified as Santanu Deb, who is a Group D staff of the Food and Supply Department, presently posted at the Rationing Office, Beliaghata. On Tuesday, cops nabbed the third accused — Somen Sarkar, an Upper Division Clerk of the Food and Supply department posted in Asansol from his Belgharia residence. Both were produced at the Sealdah ACJM Court and were remanded to police custody till July 31.