SAHIWAL: Food department officials nabbed five persons who were filling private flour mills bags with the free flour meant for distribution among the beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme under the Ramazan Package announced by the government.

The arrests were made during the raids conducted by food department and police officials at three different places in the district, also recovering 2,500 empty green bags of the free flour.

According to officials, the bags being filled with the Ramazan Package flour carried the names of some private mills situated in Sahiwal and Lahore districts.

Rai Mushtaq, District Food Controller, told Dawn that the arrested suspects were illegally repacking the free flour into the private flour mills` bags for sale in the open market at higher prices.

He said of the 2,500 bags, 700 were recovered in a raid at Yousafwala from a truck, 1,400 from a warehouse near 98/9-L village on the PakpattanRoad, while 400 bags in a raid at 139/9-L village, by the officials.

Mr Mushtaq said cases were registered against the arrested suspects at Yousafwala police station. He said the officials were investigating from where the suspects got the Ramazan Package 10kg flour bags.

Meanwhile, the process of distribution of 45,000 flour bags among the BISP beneficiaries has started in Sahiwal Division.

Commissioner Shoaib Iqbal told Dawn that 11,000, 9,000 and 25,000 flour bags would be distributed in Okara, Pakpatta and Sahiwal districts, respectively, under the Ramazan Package.

Sahiwal Deputy Commissioner Ikramul Haq said the flour bags would be distributed among the BISP beneficiaries through 245 truck sale points, 110 registered shopkeepers and 59 Utility Store Corporation outlets in the Chichawatni and Sahiwal tehsils.

He said the trial distribution of the nour bags had been launched by Food Secretary Zaman Watto at 119/13-L village on March 16.