Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): After seven years of investigation into the supply of substandard rice under Public Distribution System (PDS) in Seoni, the Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) on Wednesday registered an FIR against 11millers and two government officials.

Jabalpur unit of EOW registered a criminal case against 11 mill operators and the then two quality inspectors of MP Civil Supply Corporation under section 420, 272, 120B of IPC and section 3/7 of Essential Commodities Act. No arrests have been made so far in connection with the case.

EOW, Bhopal had received a complaint alleging that Seoni district, the rice mill owners in collusion with officials of State Civil Supply Corporation were releasing substandard rice under government quota.

During the investigation, it came to fore that in 2018, the mill owners in Seoni district in connivance with the government officials had hatched a criminal conspiracy and supplied substandard rice while issuing ‘good quality report’.

The then quality inspectors of Civil Supplies Corporation Jagdish Giri Goswami and Vinay Pandey were found to be involved in the irregularity. The fraud came to light when the substandard quality rice was distributed to the people through Public Distribution System (PDS) shops.

The quality inspector team sent by the government from Jabalpur regional office and the EOW officials flagged the irregularity.

Besides the two government officials -Goswami and Pandey; Akbar Rice Mill, Aryan Rice Mill, Lakshmi Rice Industries, Durga Shakti Rice Mill, Lakshmi Rice Industries, Shri Rice Mill, Shubham Rice and Parboiling Industry, Swastik Rice Mill, Tryambak Rice Mill, EOW Vyom Rice Mill, and Yash Udyog, District Seoni have been booked for the anomaly