FIA arrests six, including four PASCO employees, for wheat pilfering

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested six individuals, including four employees of the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASCO) and a private broker, on charges of pilfering wheat and adulterating it with soil, officials reported on Monday.

As per reports, the arrests followed a raid at a PASCO warehouse in Tandlianwala, where FIA officials discovered nearly 2,000 sacks of wheat adulterated with soil, valued at approximately Rs70 million. The warehouse, originally intended to store 18,000 wheat sacks, is under investigation, with the total stock yet to be verified.

The operation resulted in a five-day physical remand for the suspects, which includes Assistant Purchase Inspector Shamsher, and three chowkidars, Suhail, Ali Sher, and Kashif.

FIA sources stated that the suspects had caused significant losses to the national treasury through the adulteration and theft of government wheat stocks. Further investigation revealed that approximately 1,200 sacks had been siphoned off, and the wheat was replaced with soil.

Following leads from the suspects, FIA teams conducted another raid on a private warehouse in Okara, where 1,400 sacks of wheat were recovered. The raid also led to the arrest of PASCO Zonal Head Okara Rao Tariq Mahmood and private broker Muhammad Mansha, both of whom are under interrogation.

Additionally, 1,000 empty burlap sacks were recovered from the private warehouse, adding further weight to the case.

FIA officials confirmed that the arrested individuals had admitted to the theft and adulteration of wheat, causing substantial financial damage. The agency has expanded its investigation and is conducting additional raids to capture others involved in the scheme.