Spurious cotton seeds racket busted in Thurkapally

Hyderabad: Thurkapally Police, in coordination with Agriculture Department officials, busted an interstate spurious cotton seeds racket and arrested one accused while seizing 150 kg of banned and fake BG-II cotton seeds worth about Rs 10 lakh.

The arrested accused was identified as Dondapati Mallikarjuna Rao, 36, a resident of Kesanapalli village in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. Another accused, Shankar of B. Kothakota in Chittoor district, remains absconding.

Police registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Seeds Act, the Telangana Cotton Seeds Act, and the Environment Protection Act. Acting on credible information, officers intercepted the accused near the Thurkapally bus stand while he was allegedly transporting banned BG-II cotton seeds from Guntur to Siddipet for illegal sale.

During questioning, the accused allegedly admitted that he was transporting fake seeds for sale to cotton farmers by claiming they would provide higher yields and improved crop production. Investigators said he had previously been involved in the seeds and pesticides business in Guntur district and had allegedly procured the seeds with the assistance of the second accused.

Spurious cotton seeds worth Rs 10 lakh seized

During the operation, police seized two bags containing approximately 70 kg of seed packets branded as “BILLA BG-II 999” and three bags containing about 80 kg of loose spurious cotton seeds. The total value of the seized stock was estimated at Rs 10 lakh.

According to the investigation, the accused failed to produce valid licences, invoices, transport permits, stock registers or any authorization documents for possessing, transporting or selling the seeds. Police said efforts were underway to trace and arrest the absconding accused.

Officials warned that the use of spurious cotton seeds could lead to poor germination, crop failure and significant financial losses for farmers. They said such seeds do not meet prescribed quality standards and may adversely affect agricultural productivity. Authorities also noted that repeated use of fake seeds could increase cultivation costs due to re-sowing and additional expenditure on fertilizers and pesticides.

Yadadri Bhuvanagiri Police stated that they are continuing efforts to identify and dismantle networks involved in the manufacture, transport and sale of fake seeds. They also appealed to farmers and the public to share information about the storage, transportation or sale of spurious seeds to help protect the farming community.

The operation was carried out under the supervision of Superintendent of Police Akshansh Yadav, IPS, along with senior police and Agriculture Department officials.