PDS rice meant for poor seized en route to Maharashtra | Hubballi News
Gadag: A truck carrying 608 bags of PDS (Anna Bhagya) rice weighing 38 tonnes was intercepted near Binkadakatti village in Gadag district after authorities acted on intelligence inputs about its alleged illegal transportation, police sources said. The rice, meant for distribution to beneficiaries under the public distribution system, was reportedly being diverted and transported to Maharashtra.According to police sources, the truck was travelling from Huvinahadagali to Kolhapur. During the investigation, officials found that a fake bill had allegedly been obtained from the APMC in Haveri to facilitate transport of the consignment.The operation was jointly carried out by officials of the food and civil supplies department and the police. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the rice had been loaded in Huvinahadagali and was allegedly being transported to another state as part of a smuggling network.Two persons — the truck driver and a helper — were detained by Gadag Rural police for questioning. Police suspect the rice was collected from fair-price shops in surrounding villages and moved overnight to a ginning unit before being loaded onto the truck for transport.A case has been registered at Gadag Rural police station, and further investigation is under way to identify those involved in the alleged diversion and illegal sale of PDS rice.
