1,300 kg of PDS rice seized near Karaikudi

SIVAGANGA About 1,300 kg of PDS rice was seized from a car near Karaikudi in Sivaganga district on Tuesday. Acting on a tip-off, a team from Pallathur police station conducted a vehicle check at Nangampatti and intercepted a speeding car. A search of the vehicle yielded 26 gunny bags of subsidised rice, totalling 1,300 kg, bearing the official government seal.

The police confiscated the smuggled rice and the vehicle. The driver, identified as Thirumurugan from Siruvayal, was arrested. Police suspect that since the gunny bags carried government stamp, the rice could have been diverted directly from local ration shops rather than open markets.

A detailed investigation has been launched to trace the ration shop involved in the illicit diversion of rice and to uncover any wider smuggling networks operating in the region.