Warangal: Cops bust counterfeit pesticide racket

Warangal: The Task Force along with Geesugonda, Narsampeta and Inavolu Police arrested 13 persons belonging to three different gangs engaged in the sale of counterfeit and sell-by-date pesticides, and prohibited herbicides. The police seized these products along with chemicals and a car worth around Rs 57 lakh from them. Based on a tip-off, the police along with agriculture officials conducted a series of raids in Geesugonda, Narsampeta, Chennaraopet and Inavolu mandals in Warangal district.

Warangal Commissioner of Police A V Ranganath said that the whole episode was exposed when the police raided the pesticide shops of Islavath Venkatesh and Nunavath Veeranna at Mangal Thanda under Geesugonda mandal. The officials found sell-by-date pesticides in both the shops. During the investigation, it was found that former sales officer of pesticides Yalam Sadasiva Reddy of Karimnagar district was the kingpin of the illegal trade.

In another development, the police arrested Bhukya Mathru Rathod of Maheshwam village for manufacturing counterfeit pesticides. Rathod turned his home a manufacturing unit by procuring huge quantities of chemicals and other raw materials from a Hyderabad-based Multichem Agro Industry, an unauthorized manufacturer. The police arrested three persons of this illegal industry.

The police also accused Hanumandla Bhaskar, who was distributing fake pesticides in Upparapalli village under Chennaraopet mandal. Based on information from Bhaskar, the police arrested M Sekhar Reddy of Srilakshmi Biotech Company in Abdullapurmet village near Hyderabad.