Huge quantity of PDS rice seized in crackdown

Bengaluru

A three-day crackdown against black market syndicates diverting rice from public distribution system across Karnataka has resulted in the seizure of 564.99 tonnes of rice whose value is estimated to be ₹1.34 crore.

The multi-agency drive was taken up by the Food and Civil Supplies Department in coordination with the Commercial Taxes, the Agricultural Marketing, the Police, and the Excise departments. As many as six criminal cases have been registered under the Essential Commodities Act, 1981, against nine persons. Twenty transport vehicles worth ₹3.41 crore have also been seized in the operation.

A note from the office of Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad said that a major highlight of the drive involved exposing an international smuggling racket operating out of Bengaluru Rural district. The officials intercepted a lorry at Attebele, transporting 35,000 kg of rice in 700 bags of Food Corporation of India. It said that the rice valued at ₹11.63 lakh had been packaged under the trade name ‘WoW’ with the tagline “Rice for Africa.”

Investigation revealed that Mandya-based Annapurneshwari Enterprises had purchased rice from local FCI godown and sold it to Madhya Pradesh based Sailar Exports Ltd, to be shipped out of Chennai. The note said that this was in violation of Prevention of Black Marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act, 1981. The company was found to have traded upto 56,450 quintals of rice in the past two months against a legitimate purchase record from FCI for 5,000 quintals.

In Lokur village of Belagavi, officials seized 4.22 lakh kg of PDS rice worth ₹98.67 lakh while three Maharashtra bound lorries carrying 71,800 kg of PDS rice that had been repackaged into colourful branded bags was seized. Another big consignment of rice of 35,391 kg was seized from an abandoned truck in Vijayapura, the note said.