UP chairman held for theft of rice meant for the poor

A female union parishad chairman and a security staffer at her office were arrested on charge of misappropriating rice meant for poor people in Mymensingh's Bhaluka upazila yesterday.

The arrestees are Jesmin Nahar Rani, 45, chairman of Meduari union parishad, and Akbar Ali, 50.

A case was lodged Bhaluka Police Station accusing the arrestees hours after their arrests.

Quoting the case statement, Mohammad Mainuddin, officer-in-charge of the police station, said the union parishad was supposed to distribute rice at Tk 10 per kg among 4,083 cardholders in the union in three phases.

As the cardholders gathered at the union parishad for the last day of rice distribution on Wednesday, they were told that there was no stock.

Being informed, Bhaluka upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) went to the spot and asked the chairman and her staffer about the shortage.

In primary interrogation, the staffer confessed that they sold 200 sacks of rice (30kg per sack) to a local dealer.

The arrestees were produced before a Mymensingh court yesterday with a five-day remand prayer for the chairman, the OC said, adding that the court, however, granted a day of remand. 

The court also recorded the statement of the guard under Section-164 and sent him to jail, said the OC.