Berhampur, July 23: The child development project officer (CDPO) and two others were arrested yesterday for illegal transportation of the rice meant for anganwadi centres. Thirty quintals of rice and a pick-up van in which the rice was being transported, were seized.

“Thirty quintals of rice packed in 60 bags of 50kg each were seized at Duduma Colony Road on the city outskirts. We arrested Digapahandi CDPO Saroj Bala Acharya, Devdas self help group secretary Tejeswari Dora and the driver of the van, Krushna Chandra Sethi,” said inspector in-charge of Bada Bazar police station Siba Prasad Biswal.

Police swung into action after sub collector Ajit Kumar Mishra instructed sub divisonal welfare officer Bhabani Shankar Sahu and the civil supplies department officials to raid the van.

“A special squad raided the van and the CDPO, who was in the van, was unable to furnish a satisfactory reply,” said a civil supplies department officer.

These rice bags were issued from a godown at Digapahandi for Devdas, a self help group of Ankorada under Digapahandi block on July 15. The rice was meant for 21 anganwadi centres in Digapahandi block.

But the stock was being taken to be sold to some one in Berhampur in the black market, said the civil supplies officer. “We sealed the ICDS godown at Digapahandi and verified the stock,” he said.

The rice bags seized by the police were unloaded at the sub-collector’s office first and shifted to the Bada Bazar police station later.

Sub-collector Ajit Kumar Mishra, who heads the ICDS committee in Berhampur sub-division, said the swindling of baby food is a non-bailable offence and stringent punishment would be meted out to those guilty.

Bada Bazar police have registered a case under sections 409, 420 and 341.

The court rejected the bail plea of the three accused and sent them to judicial custody.