Three arrested for illegally storing 12,000 kg of PDS rice near Erode

ERODE: The district civil supplies crime investigation department (Civil Supplies-CID) police on Thursday arrested three men for illegally storing PDS rice near Erode. They seized 12,000 kg of rice from a godown and a pickup truck.Civil Supplies-CID received complaints that ration rice was being stored for sale in rice mills in Sivagiri and surrounding areas. Polic engaged in intensive patrolling in the Sivagiri area on Wednesday night.The found rice stored in bundles in a godown owned by K Ramalingam, 52, at Rangasamudram near Sivagiri. Also, they found sacks of PDS rice on a pickup truck near the rice mill.Police arrested Ramalingam in the early hours of Thursday. Based on the information given by him, police arrested mill manager Kandavel, 47, and mill worker Thompson, 35. “The trio stored ration rice for sale,” a police officer said.