A case has been registered against six persons including three government officials in Maharashtra's Thane district for allegedly cheating the Tribal Development Corporation (TDC) of Rs 16.60 crore, police said on Wednesday.
During the kharif season 2022-23, the accused allegedly misappropriated 52,840.88 quintal of grains and gunny bags, an official from Shahapur police station said.
The accused prepared bogus hundis (promissory notes) for the procurement of grains from farmers and cheated the government and the corporation to the tune of Rs 16.60 crore, he said.
Following complaints, the department carried out an inspection of a paddy procurement centre of a cooperative society in Shahapur and found the irregularities and misappropriation of grains, the official said.
Based on a complaint by the TDC officials, an FIR has been registered against the six persons under Indian Penal Code sections 409 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 464, (making false document in name of a fictitious person), 468 (forgery) and 34 (common intention), the police said. No arrest has been made so far, they said, adding a probe is on into the case.