Over 2,000 kg of smuggled PDS rice seized at Chennai Egmore Railway Station
CHENNAI: In a targeted operation against the illegal transportation of Public Distribution System (PDS) rice,
Railway Protection Force
(
RPF
) personnel seized approximately 2,000 kilograms of smuggled rice at Chennai Egmore Railway Station on Saturday evening.
The special drive was conducted on May 25, between 5 pm and 6.30 pm, by a team led by Assistant Sub-Inspector Joseph Amala Dass along with Head Constables G Kannan, V Kumaravel, and N Rajesh under the Chennai Egmore RPF division.
During the operation, the team identified and confiscated 40 unclaimed bags filled with smuggled PDS rice, weighing around two metric tonnes.
The rice bags, suspected to have been illegally diverted from the govt-subsidised distribution network, were found abandoned on the railway premises.
Authorities suspect that the smugglers intended to transport the rice using the railway network before abandoning the consignment fearing police surveillance.
The seized goods were handed over to Head Constable Velmurugan of the Chennai South Civil Supplies CID for further investigation and legal action.
Police officials stated that efforts are ongoing to trace the source of the rice and identify individuals involved in the smuggling operation. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has increased vigilance at key transit points to prevent further misuse of the railway system for illegal transport of essential commodities.
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