Cyberabad police seize 1.2 tons of prohibited cotton seeds worth Rs. 30 lakhs
HYDERABAD: With the Kharif season around the corner the miscreants are trying to cash in on by selling the prohibited cotton seeds to farmers. In a major bust, the Special Operations Team (SOT) of Cyberabad arrested two men indulging in illegal transportation of prohibited (BG-III/HT) Cotton Seeds in a whopping quantity of 1.2 tons, worth Thirty lakhs.
The police operation was conducted in coordination with the Agricultural Department officials. The accused Gaddam Srikanth and Goshika Naveen Kumar were transporting the prohibited seeds under the camouflage of onion bags when they were intercepted by the SOT team. “With a specific tip off, Special Operations Team (SOT) Cyberabad along with Agricultural Department officials intercepted that pickup truck, at Orange Bowl Resort on the Rajiv Gandhi National Highway, Shamirpet, which was illegally transporting prohibited cotton seeds,” said Cyberabad police in a press statement.
Huge quantities of banned BG IIIT variety Cotton seeds being smuggled from Karnataka to Telangana, by concealing under Onion bags, seized at Shameerpet @TOIHyderabad @cyberabadpolice @TelanganaCMO #Farmers #Cotton #Telangana #Karnataka #agriculture #farming pic.twitter.com/WIsqn5NPDk
— Pinto Deepak (@PintodeepakD) April 22, 2024
Explaining the modus operandi the Cyberabd police said, “The vehicle was bound to Mandamarri of Mancherial District of Telangana from Kushtagi town of Koppal District in Karnataka. The accused went to Karnataka and got the vehicle loaded with 1.2 tons of BG-III Cotton seeds and 1560 Kgs of Onions Bags. The onion bags were used as a cover up to avoid detection by police.”
The accused reportedly confessed that they were transporting the prohibited seeds as per the instruction from main conspirators Shivaiah alias Siddaiah and Pindi Suresh Yadav. Further they disclosed that for every consignment they were paid Rs.5,000 by the conspirators.
Further probe revealed that it was not their first offence, the accused last week on 14th April went to Karnataka and transported 1200 Kgs of prohibited (BG-III/HT) Cotton seeds and handed it over to Shivaiah and Suresh Yadav at Mandamarri of Mancherial District.
Investigation revealed that main conspirators have been indulging in these kinds of illegal activities for a long time and encashing the profits by selling the same to innocent farmers. Shamirpet police of Cyberabad commissionerate booked a case against the five accused involved in the offence and arrested two persons and launched a manhunt against the other accused.
