SARGODHA: Abogus report claiming “no wheat stock” was submitted to the administration by the food department and a local feed/flour mills in Sargodha.
This misinformation was even shared with the Punjab director general (food) via a WhatsApp group, completely contradicting the reality on the ground.
The fraud came to light when the Shahpur assistant commissioner conducted a surprise raid and recovered over 60,000 bags (6,000 metric tonnes) of wheat stored at Sultan Feed Mills, contradicting the written report submitted by Grain Food Inspector Muhammad Aslam, who had falsely stated that not a single sack of wheat was present.
Following the raid, the Sargodha deputy commissionerreprimanded District Food Controller Mudassar Javed, labeling the submission of fake data as a criminal act and gross misuse of authority.
Bogus report shows ‘no stock’
According to sources, under a province-wide directive to register wheat stocks to stabilise prices, flour mill owners and food department officers in Sargodha colluded to misreport or conceal actual stock levels. Many stockists secretly shifted wheat to undisclosed locations, while others declared significantly reduced inventories or submitted entirely fake reports through food officers.
The assistant commissioners were independently tasked with verifying these stock declarations. During these checks, it was discovered that multiple officers knowingly submitted false data, with clear indications of collusion.
In Sargodha alone, more than 100,000 metric tonnes of wheat is suspected to have been hidden, raising concerns about intentional hoarding to manipulate market prices, which experts consider a criminal conspiracy against national interest.
While a show cause notice has been issued to Inspector Muhammad Aslam under the Peeda Act, sources claim this is only a formality and no substantive action has yet been taken against the mill owners or key facilitators within the food department.
Both the district food controller and the inspector were reluctant to respond.
ENCOUNTER: A notorious criminal identified as Javed, aresident of 96 SB, was killed in a police ‘encounter’ while his accomplices managed to escape during an attempted robbery near Chak 92-SB.
According to police sources, a 15 emergency call was received around, reporting that armed individuals were committing a robbery in the area. When police arrived at the scene, they were met with gunfire from the suspects.
An exchange of fire ensued between the robbers and the police. During the encounter, Javed was fatally shot. His accomplices, however, managed to flee under the cover of darkness.
Police are conducting raids to arrest the remaining suspects. The body of the deceased robber has been shifted to the local hospital for autopsy. A case has been registered.
RAPE: A 45-year-old resident of Chak 129 NB was booked for allegedly raping a fourth-grade student for six months.
When the girl developed abdominal pain, it was revealed that the girl had conceived. Salanwali police have registered a case on the complaint of the girl’s father.
Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2025
