PESHAWAR, April 18: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) NWFP has detected a massive misappropriation in the distribution of wheat reserved for Kohistan district and arrested two officials of the provincial food department.

Briefing the media about the scam, NAB NWFP Special Operation Wing director Brig Mohammad Musadiq Abbasi said that those arrested were allegedly involved in the sale of wheat to flour mills in Havelian, Abbotabad district.

Around 62,529 bags of wheat were found missing from the godowns in Kohistan district and the embezzled amount stood at Rs47.826 million, he said.

Brig Abbasi said an inquiry into the scam had been launched. The officials arrested include food inspector Nazakat Shah and district food controller Qamar Zia. Raids are under way for the arrest of food inspector Tariq.

The NAB director said the NWFP government had reserved a wheat quota of 7,500 bags for two tehsils -- Dasu and Pattan -- of Kohistan which were being sold to the people at a controlled rate of Rs1,130 per bag.

The annual quota of wheat for Kohistan district is 90,000 bags which is purchased by the NWFP food department from Punjab and supplied through contractors.

He said that food inspector Nazakat Shah, main accused in the scam, was known as prince in the area, and he had been serving the department for the last 27 years.

He said during a search NAB officials found 700 bags of rice and 22 bags of dates from the godowns which were meant for earthquake victims. He said the NAB officials had seized all records from Havelian, Dasu and Pattan and started an inquiry.

The arrested officials would be presented before a court of law after which a proper investigation into the scam would be started.

He said food inspector Tariq, who was at large, was responsible for providing incorrect reports about the wheat stocks in Pattan and Havelian.-—APP