The Revenue Department officials on Friday seized nine quintals of rice and 23 quintals of pulses allegedly smuggled into Charla from the neighbouring Chhattisgarh State.
Acting on a tip-off, the mandal officials raided the house of a local trader at Lingapurampadu in the mandal headquarters and recovered the illegally stocked rice and pulses reportedly meant for beneficiaries under the public distribution system of Chhattisgarh.
Apart from the essential commodities of the PDS, the Revenue officials also seized ten quintals of patika (alum) used in the brewing of illicitly distilled (ID) liquor.
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The errant trader was not present at his residence. Similar instances were reported last year from Charla and Venkatapuram mandals in Bhadrachalam division. When contacted, Charla in-charge Tehsildar Sandhya Rani said the bags containing rice and pulses seized from a house in Lingapurampadu were shifted to the mandal revenue office.
The matter has been referred to the higher authorities for appropriate action, she said, adding that the seized alum was handed over to the police for investigation.