Selling paddy stocks to private millers: CID probes PMB officers

by Norman Palihawadana

The CID and intelligence sleuths have been detailed to probe the activities of Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) officers after it came to light that big stocks of paddy was being surreptitiously sold to private millers for substantial kickbacks, a senior police official said.

The racket was bared after a PMB officer at Kilinochchi was caught collecting lakhs of rupees as commission for selling a stock of paddy to a private miller, police spokesman, DIG Ajith Rohana said.

He said a full-scale investigation has been launched as it is believed that the malpractices are widespread with PMB officers in many parts of the country making a fast buck by pushing their stocks to private paddy millers on the sly.

“This could be one of the reasons for the price of rice to spike in the marketplace as millers have to recover the commissions given to these officers”, he noted.

DIG Rohana said that as investigations proceed, action will be initiated to probe the assets of PMB officers suspected of involvement in the racket.

The activities of PMB officers in many regions including the North, North Central and Wayamba provinces have now come under the microscope, he added.