Minivan with PDS rice seized; one held

TIRUVALLUR: The civil supplies CID personnel on Sunday arrested a 52-year-old man in Tiruvallur for smuggling PDS rice from the state to Andhra Pradesh. They seized a minivan with the sacks of rice.

In an effort to curtail the rampant smuggling of PDS rice from Tamil Nadu to neighbouring states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, the civil supplies CID have been conducting regular raids in Tiruvallur district.

On Sunday night when the team was involved in vehicle checks near the Anuppampattu railway station, they apprehended a minivan that was carrying several tonnes of PDS rice meant for members of the public. “We immediately arrested the accused Kumar and seized over 53 bags of rice weighing 2,650 kg along with the minivan it was being transported in,” police said. They remanded the accused to judicial custody.