The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Pakistan’s federal crime investigation body, has opened an inquiry into Passco wheat theft after thousands of wheat bags were allegedly taken from stores of the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) in Hafizabad. Official sources said the Passco managing director formally referred the matter to the FIA director general after an early check found shortages and irregularities in the wheat stocks.
How the inquiry began
Passco’s managing director also set up a special audit inspection committee to examine the stocks in full and scrutinise official documents. That step followed the referral that brought the case to federal investigators. The FIA Gujranwala zonal director has been assigned to head the inquiry, and a team has already started work on the ground.
Official sources said seven senior officials of the Hafizabad Passco zone, including the zonal head and the project manager, went into hiding once the Passco wheat theft came to light. Their absence is among the first issues the inquiry will have to address as it maps who had control over the stores and the paperwork.
What early checks have found
Sources said an initial probe by Passco headquarters and the FIA found that 50,000 wheat bags were missing from the stocks. Investigators are expected to identify those involved in the alleged scam. The same team will assess the financial loss to the national exchequer — the public purse that bears the cost when state-held grain disappears.
What happens next
According to sources in the FIA, a criminal case may be lodged against anyone found responsible. For now, the audit committee and the Gujranwala-led team are still reviewing stock accounts and records. No official list of accused persons has been released beyond accounts that seven senior zone officials have absconded.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Passco ke Hafizabad godamon se gandum ki bohot si theliyan gayab batayi gayi hain. FIA ne is mamle ki investigation shuru kar di hai. Pehli check mein lagbhag 50,000 theliyan missing mili hain, aur saat senior officers ke chhup jane ki baat kahi gayi hai. Yeh sarkari gandum ka stock hai, is liye iska nuksaan mulk ke khazane aur aam logon ke rasad ke nizaam se judta hai.
