Karnataka: Anna Bhagya rice hoarded at general store seized, 1 held

Hiriyadka police, in coordination with the department of food, civil supplies and consumer affairs, conducted a raid on Prabhu General Store in Mambettu, Bommarabettu village, following a tip-off about illegal hoarding of rice meant for public distribution under the Anna Bhagya scheme. The raid, carried out on Tuesday, was led by Udupi food inspector along with PSI Puneeth Kumar BE of Hiriyadka police station and police constables Adarsh and Karthik.

During the inspection, officials found 131 plastic bags filled with rice stocked in the sit-out area of the store. The total weight of the seized rice was 55.6 quintals, with an estimated value of Rs 1.2 lakh. Officials confirmed that the rice was intended for distribution under the Anna Bhagya scheme but was purchased from beneficiaries and stockpiled for illegal resale.

A case was registered at Hiriyadka police station under Sections 3 and 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. The accused, Vasudeva Prabhu, 56, a resident of Kukkadakatte in Bommarabettu, was arrested and produced before the court.

This article has been republished from The Times of India.