The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Crime Branch Kashmir filed a chargesheet against three officials of the Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) Department for their alleged involvement in the large-scale misappropriation of rice stocks from government granaries in Baramulla, officials said on Tuesday.

The chargesheet was filed in 2020 FIR before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Sopore against Siraj-ud-Din Bhat, then TSO PEG Baramulla; Mohammad Hussain Bhat, then TSO/Storekeeper Hygam Granary; and Mohammad Shafi Rather alias Shafi Kanda, then TSO Hygam Granary.
The trio had been booked under Sections 409, 420, and 120-B of the Ranbir Penal Code for criminal breach of trust, cheating, and conspiracy.
The EoW said the case originated from a communication received from the Directorate of FCS&CA, indicating suspected misappropriation of rice from the Hygam and Baramulla (Centre D) granaries.
Acting upon these inputs, a probe was initiated, and the SSP Crime Branch Kashmir ordered a Joint Surprise Check (JSC) to verify the authenticity of dispatches and receipts of food grain consignments.
The inspection revealed that seven truckloads of rice, shown as dispatched under the supervision of FCI and FCS&CA officials, were fraudulently recorded as received at Hygam Granary and distributed to sale centres across Wagoora, Nowpora, Kathigan Jathiar, Kalantra, and Dandmoh.
However, all these sale centres categorically denied receiving any such stocks, and their official records corroborated this denial.
EoW said further investigation revealed that the challans had been fraudulently procured by Assistant Storekeeper Palhallan Pattan, Mohammad Shafi Rather, from Siraj-ud-Din Bhat, and subsequently managed through TSO Hygam, Mohd Hussain Bhat.
The investigation established that the accused officers, in criminal conspiracy with each other and with certain officials of FCI Baramulla, misappropriated a large quantity of rice, causing a substantial pecuniary loss to the state exchequer, the EoW said.
Based on extensive oral and documentary evidence, the offences against the accused were substantiated. Consequently, the charge-sheet under Section 173 Cr.PC was submitted before the competent court for judicial determination, EoW said.