LUDHIANA: Including four officials different paddy procurement agencies of the state and owners of two rice mills, Eight persons, have been booked by the vigilance bureau here for an alleged Rs 5-crore rice shelling scam.

The accused, booked for cheating and defrauding the government, including district manager Punjab Agro Industries Limited Sham Sunder Bassi, inspector Mela Singh of the same purchasing agency, inspector Subash Chander of PUNSUP and inspector Manjit Singh of Pungrain.

While giving details a vigilance spokesman said that besides, Amarjit Singh, Hardyal Singh and Sukhdev Singh, all partners of Kuber Rice Mills, Mullanpur, and Vikas Kumar of Guru Kirpa Rice Mills have been booked under Sections 406, 429 and various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

He said that the case was registered after a search of the rice mills was conducted early this month. The search found that Kuber rice mill had misappropriated over 60,000 bags of paddy given to it for shelling rice.

The loss to the government exchequer was estimated to be over Rs 3 crore.