Over 20 tons of illegally stored TN ration rice seized from mill in Kanjikode

Walayar: With smuggling syndicates operating near the state border turning active again, a joint flash raid by the police and the Civil Supplies Department led to the seizure of 20.6 tonnes of illegally stored ration rice from a mill in the Kanjikode industrial area.

The seized haul includes subsidised rice smuggled from Tamil Nadu as well as ration rice illegally sourced from various parts of Kerala. The operation, which began in the afternoon, concluded late at night.

Acting on a tip-off about the hoarding of subsidised rice, the Walayar police initially raided the premises. Upon being alerted, officials from the Civil Supplies Department also joined the operation. The seizure was made at ABR Modern Rice Mill, owned by a person named Alauddin. The confiscated rice and related documents have been handed over to the Taluk Supply Officer for further legal proceedings.

Investigators revealed the syndicate’s modus operandi: They purchased ration rice from Tamil Nadu and other regions at throwaway prices, brought it to this warehouse for polishing, and then repackaged it under various brand names to sell in the open market at premium rates.

The raiding team also recovered packaging bags of several major commercial rice brands from the mill. The inspection was conducted by a team comprising Sub-Inspector (SI) V Hemalatha, Taluk Supply Officer D R Kavitha, Assistant Taluk Supply Officer (ATSO) R. Sanil, and Rationing Inspectors S Suma, V Kaladharan, and K I Sirajuddin.

According to officials, the racket raked in massive profit margins. They procured the subsidized ration rice for a meagre ₹1 to ₹5 per kilogram, processed and polished it, and then sold it as premium branded rice in the market for ₹50 to ₹60 per kilogram.

Walayar SI V Hemalatha stated that strict legal action would continue in the coming days against anyone involved in the illegal smuggling and hoarding of ration rice in the region.