Hyderabad: A sub-inspector allegedly helped a fake cotton seed racket operate in Kumuram Bheem Asifabad district in return for a commission of ₹100 per kg. The SI, Segyam Venkatesh, currently posted in the special branch in Mulugu district, allegedly facilitated the sale of fake cotton seeds worth around ₹20 lakh during the previous cotton season.
3 (A-3) after investigators examined phone records and other evidence linking him to the racket. Of the total stock, around 35 quintals were allegedly sold through intermediaries, while the remaining five quintals were stored at a poultry farm in Nennel mandal.
The seeds were being transported by Sheikh Salman and A Venugopal Reddy, both of whom were arrested and remanded in connection with the case,” the SP said. He was named as accused No. “The case came to light in Aug when police conducting vehicle checks near Adilabad X Roads in Asifabad found around two quintals of fake cotton seeds in four bags inside a car. During their recent interrogation, the two accused reportedly disclosed Venkatesh’s role in the racket, prompting police to investigate his alleged links with the traders. Police intercepted the car when two quintals from the stock were being transported, leading to the seizure that triggered the investigation. Venkatesh was transferred to Mulugu district in Feb this year and was serving as an SB SI there when he was arrested. Police are investigating the case to establish the full extent of the racket and the roles played by those involved.
Kumuram Bheem Asifabad SP Nithika Panth said on Monday that Venkatesh was arrested from his residence in Kagaznagar and produced before a court, which remanded him to judicial custody.
Venkatesh came into contact with Salman when he was working as a task force SI in the district and had taken him into custody in an earlier case involving the sale of fake cotton seeds, according to the SP.