The Bagalagunte police arrested an autorickshaw driver who was allegedly purchasing rice bought at subsidised rates via the Public Distribution System (PDS) from BPL card holders in and around Dasarahalli on Saturday. The racket was brought to the attention of the police by social activist Kiran Narasimhamurthy, who saw the auto driver, later identified as Azhar Khan, going from door-to-door asking card holders for PDS rice.
Mr. Narasimhamurthy and his friends kept tabs on him, and after confirmation of his activities, caught Azhar and handed him over to the police. His autorickshaw was also seized. However, Azhar’s associate, identified as Jamaal, managed to escape .
“The initial probe has revealed that Azhar used to buy PDS rice from BPL card holders for ₹12 per kg and later sell the grains in bulk to rice mills for a higher price. The rice mills processed the grains and sold them in the open market. We are investigating further to ascertain whether Azhar is part of the bigger network,” said a police officer.
