Three staff members of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), along with a contractor and a truck driver, were arrested for stealing 450 bags of rice worth Rs 8 lakh from the FCI depot at Thiruvandarkoil in Puducherry. Each bag weighed 50kg.
The arrested individuals were identified as Sunil Kumar, the manager; D Gunalan, the depot in-charge; Gukul Raj, the weighbridge in-charge; G Jayaseelan, the contractor; and Marudhu, the truck driver.
Police tracked the stolen rice bags, which had been loaded onto a truck, and successfully recovered them, returning them to the FCI.
According to a complaint filed by FCI divisional manager Mamta Rani (Cuddalore), the theft occurred on January 23. An empty truck entered the depot around noon and recorded its tare weight at the weighbridge. However, the truck left the depot at 3:50 pm loaded with 450 rice bags, but the weight of the loaded truck was never recorded. As a result, the 450 bags were not accounted for, leading to a significant loss to the public exchequer.
The accused were arrested, and the stolen goods were returned to FCI.
