Peddapalli: Ramagundam police have busted a gang involved in sale of spurious seeds and banned weed pesticide and arrested six persons besides seizing Rs 13.77 lakh worth fake seeds and weed pesticides from them.
Producing the accused before the media in Peddapalli on Sunday, Commissioner of Police V Satyanarayana explained the modus operandi of the gang.
Thogari Srinivas of Gadampalli, Malhar Rao of Jayashankar-Bhupalapalli, Bobbala Ravinder Reddy of Bommakal, Karimnagar, Akula Sriharsh of Vanaparthy, Devabakthuni Ramakrishna of Cherla of Badradri-Kothagudem, Vemunuri Venkata Reddy of Mahadevpur, and Margani Gouthu Venkata Nagendra Babu of Khammam were arrested.
Based on reliable information, local police along with mandal agriculture officials conducted checks on the outskirts of Rangapur of Basanthnagar police station limits and found three persons carrying the banned US-341 variety chili seeds. When they informed the police that they had purchased the seeds from one Thogari Srinivas, owner of Srinivasa fertilizers, Gadampalli, Malhar Rao of Jayashankar-Bhupalapalli district, cops conducted raids on Srinivas’ fertilizer shop and seized 817 packets of spurious chili seeds and 14 litres of weed pesticide.
Srinivas was procuring fake seeds from one Bobbala Ravinder Reddy, sales manager in SUMITOMO chemical private limited. Based on the instructions by the company’s Regional Manager, Akula Sriharsha, Ravinder Reddy supplied seeds from the company’s godowns in Autonagar of Hyderabad.
Police carried out raids in SUMITOMO godowns in Hyderabad and seized 97 invoices issued to supply seeds. Based on invoices, cops conducted raids on fertilizers shops across the state by constituting special teams.
As part of their task, police carried out searches in Aaradhana pesticides and fertilizers, Mahadevpur of Jayashankar-Bhupalapalli district and seized 660 liters of glycel weed pest worth Rs 77,000.
Cops also conducted raids in RK seeds, Vetapalem of Andhra Pradesh. Its owner, Deshabakthuni Ramakrishna informed that he procured seed from Nagendra Babu alia Babu Rao, sales manager in SASF company.
Mulugu police also carried out searches in seed and fertilizer shops in Vajedu and Venkatapur mandals and seized Rs 6 lakh worth chili seeds.
Spurious seed racket busted, 3 held in Manthani
Manthani police busted a spurious cotton seed circulation gang and arrested three of its members.
Based on reliable information, a task force team along with Manthani police conducted raids in the house of Mula Ravinder Reddy of Nagaram of Manthani mandal. Besides three packets of spurious seed (Pavani company), 10 kg of loose seed was seized from him.
Based on the information given by Ravinder Reddy, police conducted raids in the house of Pittala Ravi Kumar in Pittalaiahpalli of Odela mandal and seized 10 kg spurious cotton seed.
When informed that he purchased seed from one Bachini Venkanna Chowdary of Kondapalli, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, cops carried out checking in the house of Venkanna Chowdary and seized 24 quintals of spurious seed.
Former Vice-MPP of Odela mandal, Ravi Kumar is making money by selling spurious seeds at a higher price to farmers in Dahegaon, Bellampalli, Nennel, Manthani and other areas by appointing agents.
Now you can get handpicked stories from Telangana Today onTelegrameveryday. Click the link to subscribe.