Five held as police seize 22 tonnes of PDS rice, 2 tonnes of wheat in Gachibowli raid - The HinduPublished - July 16, 2026 08:42 pm IST - HYDERABADFive persons were arrested and around 22 tonnes of Public Distribution System (PDS) rice along with two tonnes of wheat were seized during a joint raid by the Gachibowli police, the Civil Supplies Department and the State Vigilance Team at Gowlidoddi village in Serilingampally mandal of Rangareddy district on Thursday.Acting on a tip-off about the illegal procurement, storage and transportation of PDS commodities, officials inspected premises behind a government school and an open plot near Jayabheri Apartments.The accused were identified as Mohd. Sami (27), a businessman from Rajendranagar; Nagesh (20), a driver from Markundha village in Bidar district, Karnataka; Biru Kumar (24), a driver from Bidar district, Karnataka; Md. Mubeen Ahmed Qureshi (20), a driver from Perla Bowli in Hyderabad’s Old City; and Abdul Neef (27), a driver from Khajanagar in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.During the operation, the team seized around 520 plastic bags of PDS rice, each weighing between 40 kg and 50 kg, loaded onto a12-tyre lorry. This apart, around 40 bags of wheat were also found stored in a nearby compound.Police said random verification of the rice bags revealed the presence of Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK), confirming that the stock had been supplied under the Telangana government’s Public Distribution System for distribution to eligible beneficiaries.Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused were purchasing PDS rice and wheat from beneficiaries at low prices before selling the commodities at higher rates for illegal financial gain, in violation of the Telangana State Public Distribution System (Control) Order, 2016, and other applicable laws.In addition to rice and wheat, officials seized five vehicles used in the illegal transportation of the commodities, including a 12-tyre lorry and four goods carriersFurther investigation is underway.Published - July 16, 2026 08:42 pm ISTSign in to unlock member-only benefits!Access 10 free stories every monthSave stories to read laterAccess to comment on every storySign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single clickGet notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }