Cyberabad police arrests 10 people for selling spurious seeds

Hyderabad, June 9 (IANS) In a major operation against spurious seeds, Cyberabad police busted an inter-state racket and seized 3.35 tonne of spurious seeds.

Acting on specific information, the sleuths of Special Operations Team (SOT), Medchal zone, Rajendranagar zone along with the officials of Agricultural Department, Medchal police station and Chevella police station conducted joint operations and nabbed 10 persons, who had stored spurious cotton seeds in order to sell them to gullible farmers.

Cyberabad Police Commissioner, Stephen Ravindra, told reporters that 3.35 ton of spurious (BG-III/HT) cotton seeds and 14,850 empty pouches which are banned by the Telangana government, all worth Rs 95 lakh were seized from them.

The arrests were made in two different cases. In the first case registered at the Medchal police station, five persons were arrested.

Abdul Razzak, Mundru Mallikarjuna, Maidam Srinivas, Potlapally Harish and Abdul Rafi belonging to different districts of Telangana, have been arrested. Three others, including Kamlesh Patel of Gujarat, are absconding.

Police seized 2.53 tonne of spurious cotton seed, 2,900 packets of Pranathi cotton seeds and five mobile phones all worth Rs 75 lakh from them.

Police found that previously Razzak was involved in one case and Mallikarjuna in five cases in Ramagundam commissionerate.

According to police, Razzak bought BG3/HT cotton seeds from one Kamlesh and brought them to Hyderabad with the help of Srinivas, Harish, Ilaiah and Mallikarjun. He dumped this seed in a room on railway station road, Medchal, with the help of Jani and Rafi.

A total of 2.53 ton of seeds was stored and was to be packed in pouches and was to be sold to farmers of Telangana, police said.

In the second case, SOT Rajendranagar and Chevella police station arrested five accused. They have been identified as seed supplier Koha Turkha Alisha of Nandyal district of Andhra Pradesh, pouches suppliers Vubbani Raju, Tipparaboina Venkatesh, Somgani Venu Kumar and Kavali Mallaiah, all residents of Telangana.

Two other accused Babu Rao and Roshaiah were absconding.

Police seized 800 kg of spurious BG-III/HT cotton seeds, four smart phones and 14,850 empty pouches of various seed companies.

The authorities have appealed to farmers not to purchase the loose seeds from anyone and not to purchase the seeds from unauthorised dealers/agents. They have been advised to purchase the seeds only from branded companies. Farmers have also been urged to cultivate the BG-III/HT cotton, which is causing damage to the environment.