Himachal: Case registered against 2 in cement scam

Himachal Pradesh: Chamba police have registered an FIR against the Pradhan of Sanwal Panchayat in Churah subdivision of the district for misappropriating government cement by issuing fake bills. The brother of a former Zila Parishad member has also been booked in the case. The accused have been identified as Sanwal Panchayat Pradhan Mohan Lal, who was already under investigation for a Rs 1.20 crore scam related to the purchase of apple saplings, and another person Kewal Krishan. According to the report, the accused hatched a conspiracy to sell government cement worth Rs 1.40 lakh using fake bills.
The incident came to light on January 31 when a truck carrying 276 bags of government cement left the civil supply store in Tissa, allegedly headed to Sanwal. However, instead of going to Sanwal, the truck was diverted to some other place. Around 3 km from Tissa, the truck started unloading cement at a private store. Before the misappropriation could be completed, the police nabbed the driver. When the driver was asked for the required documents, he failed to produce a valid government bill. During investigation, the police found that the cement was issued without a formal demand from the panchayat. After a thorough investigation, the police registered a case against Lal and Krishan. The officials are now investigating how the fake bills were processed and if more people were involved in the scheme.