Illegally hoarded food grains seized in capital

Kathmandu, January 1

Police raided a warehouse of Shree Dhana Laxmi Mill Pvt Ltd owned by Tej Karan Jain at Kuleshwor yesterday and confiscated more than three truckloads of food grains and other commodities allegedly hoarded for black-marketing and profiteering.

The Metropolitan Police Circle, Kalimati, also arrested its accountant Shashi Kant Yadav (30) of Sarlahi and a staffer Ranjeet Prasad (30) of India for further investigation.

According to police, the huge amount of food grains and other commodities were found hoarded in the warehouse without being supplied to the market.

Police have seized 450 sacks of green pea (17,250 kg), 106 sacks of date (7,330 kg), 535 sacks of mung bean (2,250 kg), 460 sacks of split red gram (11,500 kg), 40 sacks of dried pea (1,750 kg), 50 sacks of black-eyed pea (1,500 kg), 60 sacks of split black gram (1,500 kg), 180 sacks of maize (4,500 kg) and invoices.

Officials said they have also launched an investigation to establish the mill’s involvement in hoarding food grains at a time when the country is reeling under acute shortage of essential supplies.