Thimphu’s dzongkhag court issued an arrest warrant for a private firm owner, who had allegedly duped farmers from two gewogs of Kawang and Mewang in Thimphu on January 30.

Kawang gewog administration filed a case on July 24 2017against Ragu Pati Suberi, who allegedly collected registration fee of Nu 500 each from farmers to register them as regular vegetable suppliers and collected vegetables from the farmers weekly.

However, the farmers claim they were not paid.

It is also alleged that Ragu Pati Suberi duped Nu 97,948 from five farmers’ group of Chhoekhor, Chagdhagang, Begana, Dhazhizhoshul, and Kuzhugchen in Kawang gewog in Thimphu, according to the letter submitted to the Thimphu Dzongkhag court.

Mewang gewog in Thimphu also filed a case against him for the similar crime in July 2016.

Ragu Pati Suberi, who owned a firm named Drukyul’s Destiny, bought vegetable worth Nu 219,359 from 18 farmers and signed an agreement that said he would pay the amount on January 1, 2016.

He also collected Nu 500 each as registration fees from 38 households of Mewang gewog.

The arrest warrant, as per section 163 of the Civil and Criminal Procedure Code of Bhutan, empowers the execution of warrant within Bhutan, beyond the jurisdictional boundary of the issuing court.

The arrest warrant is the second one after Pemagatshel’s dzongkhag court issued an arrest warrant on June 1, 2016 against the alleged for the case that involved 250 households of Chongshing, Khar and Yurung gewogs.

The farmers from five gewogs in Pemaghatshel also filed a case against Ragu Pati Suberi for the similar case of buying vegetables worth Nu 127,000 besides the registration fees in 2016. The firm owner has not paid the farmers.

Although no case was filed in court, Rangu Pati Suberi was also alleged of committing similar crimes in Mongar in 2015 and 2016. He is alleged of taking registration fees of Nu 500 from 494 farmers from six gewogs of Khengkhar, Jurmey, Chali, Balam, Sherimuhung, and Ngatshang as well as vegetables from the farmers.

In Paro, the firm is alleged of duping farmers with a similar modus operandi.

The report compiled by the dzongkhag agriculture office states that the firm collected Nu 500 each as registration fees from 536 farmers from the nine gewogs of Tsento, Lamgong, Dop Shari, Hungrel, Doteng, Wangchang, Loonyi, Shaba, Dogar, and Naja. It is also alleged that the firm bought vegetables from the farmers and did not pay them. The membership fee amounted to Nu 268,000.

In a similar complaint, the people of Toeb gewog in Punakha also filed a complaint to the dzongkhag administration about non-payment of agricultural produce by the firm.

The firm owner collected more than Nu 700,000 from the farmers of five dzongkhags.

Nima