UP EOW Arrests Fugitive in ₹2.94 Crore Paddy Procurement Scam After 10 Years

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The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested a fugitive accused in a decade-old paddy procurement scam worth over ₹2.94 crore. Suresh Sharma, a resident of Alipur Khalsa village in Bulandshahr district, was apprehended in Saket, Delhi after years of evading law enforcement.

Sharma had been on the run since 2015 in connection with a fraud case registered at Kotwali Dehat police station. According to the police, he and his associates used forged documents to pose as representatives of the firm “Sons & Co.” and fraudulently procured paddy from the state government. The grain was then sold through fake invoices, bypassing payment obligations.

Investigators found that another entity, Balaji Trading Company, owned by co-accused Mahesh Chand Sharma, acquired paddy worth ₹2.16 crore under similar circumstances. The group reportedly created fake authorization letters to mislead farmers into selling their crops through them. Collectively, the accused failed to pay over ₹3.30 crore to farmers before disappearing.

The arrest was led by EOW Superintendent of Police Rajiv Dixit, with support from officers Dharmesh Kumar, Manoj Kumar Birla, and Vijay Kant Sharma. Sharma is now in custody as legal proceedings continue. Authorities are also pursuing further action against the remaining individuals involved in the case.