Civil Supplies Department raids rice traders in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy
Officials registered 11 FIRs against 18 entities for alleged weight manipulation, price violations, and illegal diversion of PDS rice.
The Civil Supplies Department conducted raids on retail and wholesale rice businesses in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts between October 29 and 31, according to The Pioneer.
The Enforcement Task Force (ETF) and the Legal Metrology Department carried out the surprise inspections. Officials registered 11 FIRs against 18 trading entities for various alleged irregularities.
During the inspections, officials found traders allegedly selling 25 kg rice bags labelled as 26 kg. They also detected instances where inflated price stickers were pasted over the original manufacturer rates.
The raids revealed that some traders were operating without mandatory licences, including GST, Labour, FSSAI, and Trade licences. Officials also detected the alleged hoarding and illegal diversion of Public Distribution System (PDS) rice.
The 11 FIRs were filed at the Alwal, Jeedimetla, and Saroornagar police stations. Enforcement teams used photography and videography to document the violations for legal proceedings.
The accused traders face prosecution under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Essential Commodities Act, which include provisions for up to seven years of imprisonment. The department stated it will continue enforcement to prevent consumer exploitation.