PDS rice racket busted, 504 quintals of rice and two Lorries seized in Nalgonda

The police named three primary suspects in the case: Cheemakurthi Sudhakar from Bapatla, lorry driver Syed Salauddin from Karnataka, and Ashok from Guntur, who is currently absconding.

Hyderabad: A joint operation by the Nalgonda police and Civil Supplies officials led to the seizure of 504.50 quintals of rice and two lorries involved in its illegal transportation. The rice, suspected to be part of the Public Distribution System (PDS), had been polished, processed, and packed for commercial sale. One of the lorries was en route from Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh to Gujarat, while the other was bound for Mumbai from Telangana.

On Thursday morning, a lorry bearing the number KA56 2700, carrying 245.40 quintals of PDS rice from Andhra Pradesh to Telangana, was intercepted. The rice was packed in 818 plastic super bags, each weighing 30 kg. In a separate operation, another lorry with the number GJ 25 U 2727, carrying 250 quintals of PDS rice worth around Rs 8 lakhs from Bapatla to Gujarat, was also seized. The driver, Bhimayya, was taken into custody for questioning.

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The police named three primary suspects in the case: Cheemakurthi Sudhakar from Bapatla, lorry driver Syed Salauddin from Karnataka, and Ashok from Guntur, who is currently absconding. For several years, Sudhakar has been running a racket by purchasing PDS rice at low prices from areas such as Guntur, Bapatla, and Narasaraopet, polishing it into fine rice at his Sri Lakshmi Venkateswara Ayyappa Traders mill, and transporting it with fake bills. Sudhakar allegedly transported 10 to 12 lorry loads of rice per month to states including Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.

Nalgonda SP Sharath Chandra Pawar revealed these details during a press conference, emphasizing the efforts being made to prevent the diversion of PDS rice meant for the poor. He stated that round the clock surveillance has been set up at interstate borders to curb such illegal activities.