HYDERABAD: Two smugglers transporting 1,200 kg of banned BG-II/HT cotton seed from Karnataka to Mancherial were arrested by the Cyberabad SOT at Shameerpet. The seeds worth Rs 30 lakh were concealed under 1,560 kg of onion bags in the truck, the police said.
The accused — Gaddam Srikanth (38) and Goshika Naveen Kumar (31) — are professional drivers who have been involved in smuggling of the prohibited seeds for the past few years.
According to the police, Suresh is the owner of the vehicle and Siddaiah is the receiver of the seeds. The duo reportedly paid Rs 5,000 for a trip and asked the drivers to go to Kushtagi town in Karnataka to purchase the seeds banned by the Telangana government.
The two drivers followed the instructions of the duo and stayed at a lodge in Kushtagi town. Meanwhile, one unidentified person took their empty vehicle, filled it with 1.2 tonnes of the banned seeds and concealed it under onion bags to avoid police checks.
On further investigation, the accused drivers confessed that they had visited the same place on April 14 to transport the same quantity of seeds and then handed it over to Siddaiah in Mancherial. After purchasing the banned seeds, they sold it to innocent farmers, the police said. Currently, Siddaiah and Suresh are absconding.
Hid under onion bags
One unidentified person takes their empty vehicle, fills it with 1.2 tonnes of the seeds banned in the state and conceals it under onion bags to avoid police checks.