Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members arrested two people for illegally hoarding 14,000kg rice meant for poor people under the government’s Open Market Sale (OMS) programme in Khulna on Tuesday morning. The arrestees are Nadim Ahmed, son of Hashem Sheikh from the district’s Sonadanga area and Rabiul Islam, son of Abul Khaleque from West Baniakhamar area. Read more:Whole-wheat flour packets under OMS to be available from Oct 1 Among the arrestees, Nadim is the owner of the warehouse where the rice was kept. According to Rab, the elite force had kept some rice warehouses in the city’s Barmashil road area under their watch after receiving the information that some unscrupulous traders were selling the government’s OMS rice in the black market at high rates instead of selling to the poor at low rates. “Nadim and Robiul were unloading the rice from government-sealed sacks and putting it inside some unmarked sacks when Rab caught them red-handed. During the drive, we recovered 100 sacks of 50kg rice and 390 sacks of 25kg rice from them. We’ve also lodged a complaint against them in this regard,” said Tahan Chakma, Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police (Senior ASP) of Rab-6 (Khulna). Read more:OMS will continue till rice market is stable: Food Minister Lt. Colonel Mohammad Moshtaque Ahmed, Director of Rab-6, said an investigation has started to find out how some rice traders are getting OMS rice and who are assisting them in this practice.

The Ministry of Food and the World Food Programme on Monday formalised the inclusion of fortified rice in the Open Market Sales (OMS) which will directly benefit about 720,000 people in 144,000 households.  Richard Ragan, Country Represent

Police seized 357 kgs of OMS rice and arrested a dealer from Gopalpur village in Shahzadpur upazila on Sunday night.

A Kushtia court on Sunday directed the local administration to take legal action against the chairman of Durgapur union parishad following investigation for reportedly misappropriating OMS rice for the last four years.

Police have arrested a dealer with 300kg OMS rice meant for sale to the poor at Tk 10 per kg under a government programme.

A case has been filed against six people, including a union parishad member, at Baliadangi Police Station over the seizure of 630 sacks government rice.