More 107 bags of VGD wheat seized in Nilphamari

A case has been filed against the AL leader's elder brother Zahurul Haque Montu and their business partner Mohsin Ali. But none were arrested till yesterday, police and food officials said. The case was filed under sections 406, 417, 424 and 426, they said.

Lipon, younger brother of the AL leader, was arrested from the spot during the recovery but released within two hours.

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Jaldhaka Project Implementation Officer Anwarul Islam told this correspondent that the VGD wheat was meant for distribution among cardholders in Balagram union on 19 June.

The Assistant Field Officer of WFP Rangpur Region Salma Yasmin came to Jaldhaka to monitor the distribution. At one stage she noticed that some rickshaw vans with bags of VGD wheat were coming towards Jaldhaka from Balagram area.

She secretly kept a watchful eye and found that the bags were brought from a godown at Dalia Road in Jaldhaka municipal area. She informed Jaldhaka police who raided the godown and seized 107 bags of VGD wheat and arrested Lipon, brother of Jaldhaka AL president Ansar Ali Montu.

She then brought the matter to the notice of Nilphamari Deputy Commissioner and the Police Superintendent.

Police recorded a case, filed by Project Implementation Officer Anwarul Islam.

But the local AL president and his younger brother Lipon have been exempted from the case for unknown reasons.

There has been no WFP food distribution under VGD programme in the upazila since the incident, sources said. There are 2,216 VGD cardholders in Jaldhaka upazila. Talking to this correspondent, many cardholders alleged that they got VGD food grains only three times in six months from January to June though it is supposed to be distributed monthly.

A cardholder should get 30 kg per month but they alleged that they got 25 kg per card.

Earlier in March, WFP Assistant Field officer Salma Yasmin recovered about 100 bags of VGD wheat from another godown in Ananda Babur Pool area in Nilphamari town. The wheat was kept there for sale in the black market, police said.

WFP wheat distribution in Nilphamari Sadar upazila is suspended since the incident. A probe body formed at the directive of food ministry is investigating the matter. Its report of is still to reach Nilphamari, official sources said.