Three youth, who allegedly tried to smuggle over six tonnes of rice meant for the Public Distribution System (PDS), have been arrested by the police during the early hours of Thursday.
The three were stopped at the toll plaza along the National Highway-46 at Walajapet.
The sleuths attached to the Civil Supplies-CID, Vellore unit, conducted a vehicle check near the toll gate, following a specific information on the smuggling of PDS rice from Chennai to Pallamaneri in Andhra Pradesh via Walajapet.
A 11-member team, led by Inspector of the wing D Ashokan, intercepted a lorry bearing the registration number TN 23 BE 2554 at 1.30 am on Thursday. The police team conducted a check of the vehicle and found 135 bags of rice, totally weighing 6,250 kg of PDS rice in it. They also confiscated the lorry.
The police picked up the driver of the lorry Sarath Kumar (20) of Mottur near Abdullapuram and two others - Murali (19) of Mottur and Arivazhagan (28) of Abdullapuram - for inquiry.
On interrogation, the trio told the police that they had loaded the PDS rice from Guduvancherry in Chennai and were transporting it to Pallamaneri. “We are investigating to catch the entire gang involved in the smuggling of PDS rice,” said inspector Ashokan.
The police registered a case against the trio under section 6 (4) of the Tamil Nadu Scheduled Commodities (Regulation of Distribution by Card System) Order, 1982, read with 7 (1-a) of Essential Commodities Act, 1955. The seized rice has been handed over to the civil supplies godown in Vellore.
Gun Seized
A country-made gun and parts of the weapon have been seized by the Panmadangai police from a farmer’s backyard in Ramapuram Village on Wednesday.
Acting on a tip-off, the Special Sub-Inspector Shajahan and his team conducted a raid on the house of Deivasigamani (35), a farmer and a resident of Ramapuram village.
The police team found the country-made gun and two butts wrapped in a gunny bag and hidden on a mango tree in the backyard.
The police also seized the gun and registered a case under the section 25(1-B) (a) the Indian Arms Act 1959. The police officials are also on the lookout for Deivasigamani, who is currently at large.