Officers of the CID branch of the district police seized a goods carrier carrying 120 bags of rice meant for the public distribution system (PDS) at the Anandavadi checkpost in MelChengam near Tiruvannamalai on Thursday.
Based on an alert to A. Pavan Kumar Reddy, SP, Tiruvannamalai, a special patrol team led by Selvam, a sub-inspector, MelChengam police, was checking vehicles at the checkpost on Tiruvannamalai - Krishnagiri Main Road. The team intercepted a mini-lorry heading to poultry farms in Namakkal. As the vehicle was loaded with bags, the police grew suspicious. After a search, they found that the vehicle was loaded with 120 bags of PDS rice weighing 40 kg each. Police seized the PDS rice and the vehicle. The driver was identified as A. Karunakaran, 37, a resident of MelChengam village from Chengam taluk in the district. The suspect diverted the rice meant for public distribution and stocked it at a house. The investigation revealed that he was also collecting PDS rice from the surrounding areas and selling it to poultry farm owners in Namakkal for many months. He was remanded in judicial custody, police said.
