Probe exposes illegal wheat influx from UP into Karnal mandis; 6 arhtiyas booked

The enquiry led to the temporary cancellation of licences for 13 agents involved in the suspected inflow, as authorities tighten procurement norms for the rabi season.

The inquiry revealed that arhtiyas allegedly manipulated the MFMB portal to disguise procurement yields, exploiting the gap between maximum permissible yield and actual yield registered by farmers to obtain MSP. Market committees’ roles are also under investigation.

Following the probe, three FIRs were registered: one at Karnal new grain market against a commission agent, and another at Indri grain market/Byana sub-yard against five agents; a third FIR was registered at Kunjpura police station against Deepak Kumar. The Indri FIR names arhtiyas Sandeep Kumar, Jai Bhagwan, Arun Kumar, Rai Singh, and Ankit Kumar, while an FIR at Karnal city police station names Harmeet Kaur.

A probe report by Additional Deputy Commissioner Rahul Raiya was submitted to Karnal Deputy Commissioner Dr Anand Kumar Sharma, detailing fraudulent inflow of wheat from Uttar Pradesh into Karnal markets. The report formed the basis for subsequent FIRs and ongoing investigations.

Hindustan Times reported on May 6, 2026 that a probe into the wheat procurement scam in Karnal was initiated, focusing on the role of market committees amid a suspected influx of wheat from Uttar Pradesh. Following the report, an ADC-led enquiry found that several commission agents facilitated the inflow at three purchase centres, and the licences of 13 agents were cancelled temporarily.

Last year, a multi-crore paddy procurement scam was unearthed across Karnal, Yamunanagar, and Kurukshetra. The Haryana government issued new procurement rules following the scam. At least 10 cases were registered, and over 30 officials or millers were arrested. A chargesheet was filed against 12 accused, including government officials now under suspension.