West Bengal PDS scam exceeds Rs 10,000 crore, claims ED

West Bengal PDS scam exceeds Rs 10,000 crore, claims ED

NEW DELHI: The ED on Friday claimed that its probe has revealed that the West Bengal public distribution scam far exceeds Rs 10,000 crore, and the ‘proceeds of crime’ was laundered to Dubai and other foreign destinations by the prime accused, including former food minister Jyoti Priya Mallick.

On Friday, the agency attached 48 more properties having market value of more than Rs 150 crore (book value Rs 50 crore). These assets include the residences of former food minister Jyoti Priya Mallick in Salt Lake and Bolpur. Mallick, arrested by ED in October last year, is in judicial custody at present along with his associates who helped him launder the proceeds from the PDS scam.

The ED has also approached the special PMLA court in Kolkata to confiscate at least 101 properties attached in the scam so far. Mallick was the food minister in CM Mamata Banerjee’s govt before he was arrested by the agency. He was assisted by rice miller Bakibur Rahaman and money changer Sankar Addhya.

“It is suspected that in the PDS scam, PoC worth more than Rs 10,000 crore was generated. In this case, Bakibur Rahaman, Jyoti Priya Mallick, Sankar Addhya and Biswajit Das were arrested and all are at present in judicial custody,” ED said.

The agency further claimed that its probe revealed that a huge amount of PoC was laundered to Dubai and other countries by converting Indian currency into foreign currencies through money changer companies owned/controlled by Sankar Addhya.

Two hotels in the name of Rahaman in Bengaluru and Kolkata are among several benami properties attached by the agency in its latest action, besides deposits seized in banks.

“It is also found that Jyoti Priya Mallick has allegedly received various immovable properties worth more than crores of rupees as ‘gift’ without any consideration in the name of his family members or close associates, which have been provisionally attached,” ED said.

The ED probe, initiated on the basis of FIRs lodged by Bengal police, had revealed that various private persons were found in unauthorized possession of ration meant for delivery through PDS. These rice and flour millers were also found to be involved in bogus procurement of paddy and were engaged in siphoning of PDS ration to open market, mixing of old wheat flour in fresh flour meant for PDS distribution and bogus paddy procurement at MSP, the agency said.

The enforcement agency has filed two chargesheets so far in Kolkata and the PMLA court has already taken cognizance of both the chargesheets. “Prayer has been made vide above complaints for confiscation of properties acquired from PoC which includes 101 immovable properties and balance in several bank accounts,” ED said.

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