6,000 kg ration rice, wheat allegedly repacked for black-market sale seized from Kerala house

Thiruvananthapuram: More than 6,000 kg of rice and wheat allegedly diverted from ration shops in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and destined for the black market were seized from a locked house in Parassala on Sunday, officials said.

The seizure followed a tip-off received by the Food and Civil Supplies Department, whose officials, assisted by the police, conducted a search at a house in Karali, Parassala.

The premises were found packed with sacks of rice and wheat, allegedly collected from ration shops and brought there for repackaging and resale at higher prices.

Officials said the seized stock included rice distributed free of cost through ration shops to economically weaker families in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The grains were allegedly being diverted, brought to the house and repacked into bags before being sold in the black market.

Bags believed to have been used for repacking the ration grains were also recovered during the inspection, officials said.

A vehicle parked on the premises was seized as well after officials found that it was displaying a fake registration number. The vehicle is suspected to have been connected to the movement of the illegally diverted stock, though further investigation will establish its role, officials said.

The latest seizure comes amid intensified enforcement along the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border in Thiruvananthapuram district. In raids carried out at different locations over the past two weeks, authorities have recovered more than 75,000 kg of rice, according to officials.

The diversion of subsidised or free ration supplies is particularly significant as the stocks are intended for economically weaker households.

Officials said the grains recovered in the Parassala operation were allegedly being redirected from that welfare chain into an illegal market where they could fetch higher prices.

The seized rice and wheat will now be moved to a government godown.

The stock will subsequently be auctioned in accordance with the directions of the District Collector, officials said.

The Food and Civil Supplies Department is also set to file a complaint with the police.

A case will be registered on the basis of the complaint, following which investigators will probe the alleged diversion of ration commodities, the repackaging operation and the use of the vehicle carrying the fake registration number.

The seizure in Parassala is the latest in a series of operations targeting the alleged illegal movement and sale of ration grains along the interstate border.