Rice on paper but missing in Kurigram warehouses: ACC sues 4 food officials over alleged embezzlement of grain worth Tk 2 crore

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against four officials of the Kurigram food department over alleged embezzlement of government food grain worth more than Tk 2 crore and irregularities in stocks. The case alleges that rice was shown in the records but was missing in the actual stock.

On Tuesday (27 October), Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury, deputy assistant director of the ACC's integrated district office in Kurigram, filed the case as plaintiff in the Kurigram District Senior Special Judge's Court. The plaintiff himself confirmed the information.

The accused are Md Sharif Ahmed, then officer-in-charge of the Kurigram Sadar food warehouse, Md Helal Uddin, then assistant sub-food inspector, Md Halimur Rahman, then food controller of Kurigram Sadar upazila, and Mohammad Kazi Hamidul Haque, the current acting district food controller of Kurigram. Except for Hamidul Haque, the other three officials have been transferred and are working in different districts.

The case alleges that in the 2025-26 fiscal year, the ACC enforcement team found various inconsistencies in reviewing the records of government food grain stocks and procurement and in verifying the actual stock. These include a shortfall between the rice in the records and the actual stock, inconsistencies in the accounts of procured paddy, and paddy not being found in the warehouse even after bills were paid.

The complaint says that on 11 January this year, an ACC enforcement team raided the Shishu Niketan and Khalilganj warehouses of the Kurigram Sadar food warehouse. The team found evidence of various inconsistencies relating to rice and paddy stocks. Because of these inconsistencies, the complaint brought a charge against the four food officials of embezzling government food grain worth about Tk 2 crore 1 lakh 75 thousand 352.

In addition, the enforcement team found an unrecorded stock of 119 metric tonnes of rice near the west gate of the warehouse adjacent to Shishu Niketan School in Kurigram Sadar, worth about Tk 69 lakh 39 thousand 959. Sharif Ahmed, the then officer-in-charge of the warehouse, could not show any valid document for the procurement, weighing, storage or transport of this rice. A separate charge under another section has therefore been brought against him.

In the complaint, the ACC alleged that the four officials, in collusion with each other, created inconsistencies in the stock and procurement records and embezzled a huge quantity of government food grain. The complaint mentions that if anyone else's involvement is found during the investigation, it will be taken into account.

Plaintiff Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury said that after the raid they had sent a report to the ACC head office. Recently the head office approved filing the case. Accordingly, the case was filed in court on Tuesday afternoon.

On the matter, Kurigram acting district food controller Mohammad Kazi Hamidul Haque said he did not know about the case and had only heard of it. He had no comment on the matter.