An investigation into the theft of 225 sacks of fertiliser from a warehouse in Bhurungamari upazila of Kurigram has found evidence of wrongdoing by a local dealer, prompting authorities to recommend cancellation of his dealership.

Disgruntled farmers broke down the fence of Shah Amanat Enterprise's warehouse in the Dhaldanga Bazar area of Shilkhuri union on Sunday afternoon and took away the fertiliser, an upazila administration official told The Daily Star.

The five-member committee formed by the upazila administration on August 23 to investigate the incident submitted its report to Bhurungamari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Amrita Deb Nath the following evening.

The investigation found discrepancies involving Taifur Rahman Mukul, the dealer of Shah Amanat Enterprise, Amrita said.

Fertiliser distribution was scheduled to begin at 9:00am on August 23, but the dealer delayed it, leading to a large crowd gathering at the warehouse, he said.

“The situation could have been avoided if the distribution had started on time,” Amrita added.

The investigation also found allegations that the dealer had failed to distribute fertiliser to actual farmers and instead sold it through other business channels.

It found discrepancies in cash memos and registers, with the dealer allegedly telling farmers that fertiliser was unavailable while selling it to other shopkeepers.

The upazila agriculture officer subsequently issued the dealer a show-cause notice. Although he submitted an explanation, authorities found it unsatisfactory.

Following an upazila-level meeting, authorities decided to recommend cancellation of the dealership.

The recommendation has been sent to the deputy commissioner and, following a decision by the district monitoring committee, will be forwarded to the divisional commissioner for a final decision.