Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Apr 30: Officials from the department of food and civil supplies have seized nearly 500 quintals of rice that was being illegally stored in a warehouse located behind a private college in the city.

Acting on complaints received from the public, a raid was conducted under the leadership of the department’s deputy director, Anitha V Madlur.

“The rented warehouse belonging to Anupama Enterprises contained bags of various rice brands, including basmati, sona masuri, jeera rice, and broken rice. In addition, there were large quantities of rice stored in plain white bags with no branding, which raises the suspicion that they may include rice meant for the public distribution system (PDS). All the rice stocks have been seized and a case has been registered under the Essential Commodities Act,” said Anitha V Madlur.

“There have also been complaints that Anna Bhagya scheme rice from North Karnataka is being illegally transported, polished, and rebranded for sale in the local market. Samples of the seized rice have been sent to the laboratory for testing. It will also be verified whether the warehouse had the necessary permissions to stock such a large quantity of rice,” she added.