The Suryapet police today arrested a six-member gang involved in the sale of spurious seeds. The gang had been cheating Telangana's farmers for some time now.
The police were able to seize spurious and adulterated seeds worth Rs 13.5 crore from the possession of the accused.
Speaking to the media, Suryapet district Collector Vinay Krishna Reddy and SP Bhaskaran said that the prime accused in the case was one M Siva Reddy who worked with five other main aides.
Revealing more details, they added, "Siva Reddy had set up a company which he called Dwaraka Seeds in the Vansthalipuram area of the city. He had worked at different seeds companies in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh. After opening Dwarka, he then started selling 15 different types of spurious seeds for crops including chilly, tomato, lady's finger, and watermelon to the gullible farmers of the state without a license or a lot number. We busted this racket after conducting a deep probe at Suryapet district's Chintalapalem mandal."
The accused had reportedly appointed dealers at Mahabubabad, Sujatha Nagar, Vatsavai and Wyra to sell the spurious seeds.
The police have also arrested Dwarka's regional manager Laxma Reddy, accountant Yadagiri and dealers Pratap Kumar, Ramama and Jaganmohan Rao.