Two Hafed employees booked for embezzlement of consumer products worth Rs 34 lakh

The Civil Lines police have registered a case against two employees of Hafed sale point for allegedly embezzling consumer products worth around Rs 34 lakh. The police will also seek assistance from Hafed officials to uncover the suspected nexus behind the fraud, which reportedly went undetected for over a year.

The case was registered following the findings of a committee constituted by Hafed District Manager Amit Kumar. The committee found gross negligence on the part of both employees during physicial verification, with a significant quantity of consumer goods reported missing. A detailed report was subsequently sent to the Hafed headquarters, after which an FIR was lodged. Both employees have since been terminated. The accused have been identified as Virender Singh, store operator and Pawan Kumar, who was working as a security guard at the same facility.

Confirming the embezzlement, Amit Kumar said the issue surfaced after Virender Singh engaged in suspicious conduct while handing over charge on completion of his extension period.

“After his extension period ended, Virender Singh locked the store instead of handing over the charge to the assigned employee, Sham Lal. He did not respond to calls from Hafed officials, raising suspicions. Despite several notices, there was no response. A committee was formed, which carried out a thorough inquiry and physical verification. It found gross negligence and a substantial shortage of consumer products in the godown,” Kumar said.

“We subsequently lodged a police complaint, and a case has now been registered,” he added. SHO Civil Lines Shri Bhagwan confirmed that an FIR was registered under Sections 316(5), 318(4), and 61 of the BNS. “We will also ask the officials of Hafed for full cooperation to ensure a comprehensive investigation,” he said.

DM Amit Kumar has assured the police of full support in the ongoing probe.

‘Infested wheat’ found in two godowns

Last month, gross negligence was also observed in two Hafed godowns in Karnal district, where wheat worth crores was found infested with pests. Hafed had assigned around 8 lakh wheat bags to a private firm for storage in five godowns located in Newal, Assandh, Manchuri, Nissing, and Nilokheri.

However, during the inspections at the Assandh and Newal godowns, the officials discovered that large quantities of wheat was severely pest-infested, causing a noticeable reduction in the weight of the gunny bags.

Amit Kumar said the wheat stock was under preservation and maintenance of the private agency. “Fumigation has been completed and the stock is now pest-free. It will be dispatched to the FCI for distribution at the earliest,” he confirmed.

Haryana Tribune