Rs 87 crore worth of paddy missing, three mill owners booked
JAGTIAL / SANGAREDDY / NIZAMABAD: Paddy worth Rs 87.89 crore meant to be processed into rice and delivered to the government under the Custom Milled Rice (CMR) system has been found missing from three rice mills in Thakkallapalli village of Jagtial Rural mandal, prompting the registration of criminal cases against their owners.
The Vigilance and Enforcement department uncovered the alleged irregularities during surprise inspections at Sri Abhaya Anjaneya Swamy Industries, Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Industries and Sri Lakshmi Balaji Industries.
Officials found that 34,388 metric tonnes of paddy, valued at `87.89 crore, could not be accounted for during the inspections.
Following the raids, the Vigilance and Enforcement department submitted its findings to the district civil supplies authorities, who lodged complaints with the police. Acting on the directions of the district collector, police registered criminal cases against the owners of the three rice mills.
Officials said the investigation will focus on tracing the missing paddy, identifying those responsible and determining whether the stock was illegally diverted or misappropriated.
Owner of two mills booked in Medak dist
In Medak district, Vigilance officials conducted raids on three rice mills in Medak district and registered two cases following allegations that the rice millers had sold grains meant to be delivered to the government to neighbouring states.
Officials inspected rice mills across Kowdipally in Kulcharam mandal, Papannapet and Alladurg mandals and identified discrepancies in the stock of bags of rice to be delivered to the government.
At Sri Satyasai Rice Mill in Kowdipally, officials found a shortage of 3,029.96 metric tonnes (approximately 75,749 bags) of government grain stocks. After confirming that the paddy was sold in the open market instead of delivering the mandatory Custom Milled Rice (CMR) to the government, a case was registered against the mill owner under the Essential Commodities Act (EC Act, 1955).
In another rice mill located in the Papannapet mandal headquarters, which belongs to the same owner, officials also found discrepancies in the grain stocks and registered another case.
Similar inspections conducted at Sai Chinni Venkateshwara Rice Mill on the outskirts of Gadipedda Puram in Alladurg mandal, as well as at a few mills within Sangareddy district, revealed stock discrepancies. However, officials have not disclosed what specific charges or cases were filed against these mills.
Meanwhile, amid rumours of raids being conducted on a rice mill in Gadipeddapur of Alladurg mandal, the Rice Millers Association members reportedly exerted pressure on the government to halt the raids.
Rs 23 crore CMR default reported in Nizamabad : Meanwhile, a rice mill in Bodhan has been booked for allegedly failing to supply CMR worth `20 crore after lifting 64,000 quintals of paddy from the government over two procurement seasons. Including penalties, the liability is estimated at `23 crore.
District Civil Supplies Corporation Manager B Praveen said a complaint was lodged against Sri Sai Laxmi Agro Industries after a Vigilance and Enforcement department inspection uncovered irregularities relating to the 2022–23 Rabi and 2025–26 Kharif seasons. The inspection found that the mill had lifted 64,000 quintals of paddy but failed to deliver the corresponding CMR stocks.
Based on the vigilance report, the Bodhan Rural police registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
This is the second such case in the district. Earlier, the Civil Supplies Corporation lodged a complaint against Siddirameshwara Agro Industries for allegedly failing to supply 2.03 lakh quintals of CMR worth `68 crore, including penalties and interest.
The case was registered at Nizamabad Rural police station. Sources said the mill owner, Kaparthi Sravan, has approached the court, and police are awaiting further directions.
Praveen said civil supplies officials, along with deputy tahsildars, are continuing inspections to streamline CMR procurement from rice mills.
Meanwhile, Kamareddy Civil Supplies Corporation Manager K Srikanth said that the Vigilance department has also reported irregularities at Guru Raghavendra Rice Mill, where 31,000 quintals of paddy worth `7.5 crore from the 2025–26 Kharif season are allegedly missing.
Millers returning auction amount : Officials said the Vigilance and Enforcement department is continuing inspections across the state. Following the ongoing probe, several rice millers in Nizamabad district have started returning auction amounts for misused paddy stocks.
