Hyderabad: Task force on mission to nab PDS rice smugglers

Hyderabad: When the lockdown was enforced following the coronavirus outbreak, the State government had distributed essential commodities such as rice, dal and other items through fair price shops ie ration shops to citizens to help them fight hunger.

However there are multiple reports with the intelligence department of city police that many beneficiaries did not use the PDS(Public Distribution System) rice as they had accumulated it and sold it to the agents who bought the rice, who in turn have planned to sell it to rice mills in the other parts of State or agents in the other States.

The agents have also purchased the rice directly with the owners of fair price shops in bulk at a cheaper rate and details of such agents are being unearthed by the task force in collaboration with the Civil Supplies department.

An officer on condition of anonymity said, "After receiving the information from intelligence and special branch (SB) of police, the task of nabbing the PDS rice smugglers has been assigned to the task force.

The task force has now started action against the fake PDS rice sellers and is raiding their units with every passing day."

P. Radhakishan Rao, DCP, Task Force said, "So far we have nabbed 8 gangs in the city who had colluded with either the public or directly with the PDS distributor and purchased the rice at Rs. 7 or 8 per kg.

After purchasing the rice, the smugglers are in turn selling it to rice mills in other parts of State such as Nalgonda and Suryapet. Also they have nexus with mill owners from Bidar in Karnataka."

"The task force on Saturday arrested four persons in two separate cases from Chandrayangutta and Falaknuma. The smugglers after purchasing the PDS rice had re-packaged it so that they can deceive the cops on the State borders and once they crossed the state borders they intend to sell it to their partners in crime," added the officer.