Man arrested for smuggling PDS rice near Jolarpet town

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The Civil Supplies CID police arrested a 40-year-old man for smuggling 4.5 tonnes of rice meant for supply under the Public Distribution System near Jolarpet here on Wednesday.

The police said that special police teams were formed, based on the orders of Collector K. Tharpagaraj, to prevent PDS rice smuggling in the district. During a suprise vehicle inspection, a van from Vaniyambadi was intercepted.

The team asked the driver, S. Arun Kumar of Tirupattur, about the consignment in the vehicle. They detained him as he gave contradictory versions and was unable to provide valid documents for the vehicle. They seized several rice bags from him.

The police said he collected rice from the public in Vaniyambadi, Jolarpet and surrounding villages.

He then took the consignment to Andhra Pradesh to sell it to wholesale dealers.

He was arrested and remanded in judicial custody. A probe is under way.

Published - November 13, 2024 10:04 pm IST