UP member sued for ‘stealing’ VGD rice

A member of Rajapur union parishad in Mohammadpur upazila of Magura was sued on Thursday on charges of embezzling a huge quantity of rice meant for the vulnerable people.

The accused was identified as Abdur Rahman of Rajanagar village, reports UNB.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mizanur Rahman said the incident of embezzlement came to the fore recently while assessing rice distribution activities at grassroots under the Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) project.

Kohinur Begum, a helpless woman at the village, alleged that she paid Tk 2,000 to the UP member for issuance of a VGD card against her name. But he returned the amount and offered an apology a few days later for not doing the job.

The scenario took a dramatic turn recently when the local administration started assessing the VGD rice distribution activities.

Rahman provided the woman with a card, against which 450kg rice was already distributed, and requested her to save him.

The UP member confessed to his crime, saying that he had taken rice against the card. “I’ll return it as soon as possible.”

However, the victim lodged a complaint with the upazila administration. The complaint was later recorded as a case at Mohammadpur police station, the UNO added.