NEW DELHI: The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has alerted the government about importers of pulses resorting to cartels to make a killing this year on red lentils (masoor). The report has named companies that are buying masoor in large quantities and cornering stocks in Canada, which is the largest exporter of red lentils to India.According to rough estimates, last year dal importers had reportedly made around Rs 3,500 crore by creating acute shortages and jacking up prices of arhar. The consumer affairs ministry has already approached the Delhi police to investigate the role of traders in the dramatic rise in arhar prices.In fact, most of the 1.3 lakh tonnes of pulses seized in recent months were shipped around April-May, when prices were close to Rs 100 a kg, and were kept in warehouses,mostly in Maharashtra. Sources said the IB referred its report to the Centre earlier this month on the cartels’ plan to raise prices of masoor. It has mentioned that the most important cartel in this sector is allegedly led by an Indian commodity trading firm along with other Indian and international players in the field.The report says the plan includes amassing stocks in Canada by offering prices higher than those prevailing there and delaying the lifting of stocks from the Mumbai port, thereby causing an upward trend in satta (futures).The IB has said the Indian firm with the most important cartel is allegedly buying masoor at Rs 1,200-Rs 1,500 a quintal more than the prevailing prices in Canada. The IB agency has also reported that a leading global supplier of African agricultural products, has allegedly parked thousands of tonnes of masoor and yellow peas in Dubai.“While steps must be taken to ensure that traders don’t exploit the situation, we must also realise how the traders are a hundred steps ahead of us. They have better assessment of the likely harvest and map the potential country where the produce is available. They buy most of the produce by the time we start planning,” said an official, adding that the cartels are in operation since there are only a few players in import of pulses.