The Assam Police on Monday seized one lakh bags of rice of Food Corporation of India (FCI) from a private godown in Kamrup Rural district while it was being readied for sale in the market.
According to report, the rice bags were seized during a joint operation conducted by the Assam Police and the district administration. Reports said that the bags of rice were recovered from the godown of a private company in Chaygaon Industrial Development Centre, Chhatabari under Boko police station in Kamrup Rural district.
As per the report, the senior officials while quoted said that the illegal act came to light after villagers of Nadiar Par observed suspicious movement of a rice-bags laden truck and informed the police.
A police team led by the officer-in-charge of Boko police station, Sanjeet Roy, and Chaygaon circle officer Jayanta Borah seized the rice bags.
The report further added that a huge irregularities of this kind of illegal act came to light after the interrogation of the driver and handyman of the truck.
The report quoted a senior official as saying that they had seized one lakh bags of FCI rice, each weighing 50 kg from the private godown.
The official said the private company was repackaging rice in their own brand and then was sending it to Meghalaya.
A total of 13 trucks, used for transporting the food item, were also seized by the team from the godown and its neighbouring areas.
The report quoted officials in Assam as saying that it was found during preliminary investigation that the private company sends rice to Meghalaya after repackaging.
The company also sends rice to other places and it is suspected that a huge racket is involved in it.
The company involved in the re-packaging has been identified as Maruti Quality Products Pvt Ltd (MQPPL).
Deepak Agarwal, who owns MQPPL and its godown, is currently absconding, according to the report.