DADU: Police have arrested a food official who has reportedly confessed to setting on fire last night the remaining 30,000 bags of the 200,000 pilfered wheat sacks hidden away at a government godown in Khiarpur Nathan Shah to erase evidence of mega corruption as intelligence agencies tighten the noose around the corrupt officials.

Police officials said that Food Supervisor Maqsood Khunharo was arrested at the crime scene after he had allegedly burnt down the huge stocks of the grain when K.N. Shah police conducted intelligence-based raid on the warehouse.

The raid was part of a high-profile inquiry being conducted by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and intelligence agencies’ officials into the mega corruption scandal of Dadu food department.

The agencies launched the probe into pilferage of billions of rupees worth 200,000 bags of wheat at various food godowns and centres across Dadu district, which had been purchased during procurement season 2021-22.

Sources in the food department told Dawn that corrupt officials used the pretext of the heavy rain and subsequent floods to fraudulently declare the natural disaster had damaged the 200,000 bags of the grain, and then sold away the same at exorbitant rate.

“After having sold all the grain stored in K.N. Shah, I set on fire the remaining 30,000 bags to erase the evidence,” officials quoted the suspect as confessing before police.

The police transferred the suspect to the K.N. Shah police station and registered a case on behalf of state on a complaint lodged by ASI Mumtaz Ali.

The NAB had launched inquiry against two former DFOs and 12 other officials in connection with the mega corruption scandal, involving pilferage of 200,000 wheat bags worth billions of rupees at various godowns across the district, confirmed Dadu DFC Mansoor Meerani.

He said that officials concerned had shown in the record the huge amount of the perfectly healthy grain as damaged using the pretext of the flood. Giving breakup, he said that 20,000 bags each from food centres in Chhore and Nazeer Hussain Buriro and 15,000 bags from Loung Rahojo were shifted to K.N. Shah warehouse where 30,000 bags had already been hidden away.

He said the then Pakistan Peoples Party government’s cabinet had given permission for auction of the damaged wheat of the district. The Chief Minister’s Inspection Team was also directed to inspect the grain but it did not visit the godowns, he said.

Sources said that officials of Anti-Corruption Establishment were also involved in the mega corruption scandal hence they were not ready to take action against the corrupt officials of the food department. Local political personalities, including former MPA and MNA, had also had a share in the pie, they said.

Huge stocks of wheat are still lying in the open on roadsides in Naushahro Feroz, Kandiaro, Moro, Kazi Ahmed, Sakrand and Khairpur Mir’s in Shaheed Benazirabad and Sukkur divisions, getting damaged by the exposure to the sun and elements.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2023