Miller Gets 3 Year Jail For 3 Crore Rice Fraud
The accused, Sheshanapuri Muralikrishna, 51, owner of Mugilipadu Sri Muralikrishna Rice Mill at Palasa, was charged with diverting government paddy supplied during the Rabi and Kharif seasons of 2014–15.
Visakhapatnam: The Palasa court has sentenced a rice mill owner to concurrent double imprisonment under two sections and imposed fines in a government grain misappropriation case registered nearly a decade ago.
According to a press release issued by the Srikakulam district police, the case was registered at Kasibugga police station on June 16, 2016, based on a complaint lodged by then Srikakulam joint-collector Vivek Yadav. Crime No. 97/2016 was booked under Sections 420, 403 and 406 of the Indian Penal Code.
The accused, Sheshanapuri Muralikrishna, 51, owner of Mugilipadu Sri Muralikrishna Rice Mill at Palasa, was charged with diverting government paddy supplied during the Rabi and Kharif seasons of 2014–15. As per official records, 4,753 metric tonnes of Grade ‘A’ paddy from PACS in Palasa, Vajrapukotturu and Brahmanatarla were supplied to his mill. He allegedly failed to return the due quantity of rice, causing a loss of about ₹3 crore to the exchequer.
After investigation by inspector Y. Ramakrishna and prosecution by assistant public prosecutor P. Ramesh, the Palasa Judicial Magistrate, U. Madhuri, convicted the accused under Sections 406 and 403 IPC, awarding three years and two years of simple imprisonment respectively, along with fines of ₹10,000 each, to run concurrently. He was acquitted of the cheating charge under Section 420.
