Chandrapur: In a joint operation, the Local Crime Branch (LCB) and Ballarpur police seized banned BT cotton seeds worth Rs12 lakh along with a vehicle valued at Rs1.5 lakh on Visapur-Ballarpur Road.
Acting on a tip-off, the police team stopped a Tata Ace vehicle and found 800 packets of illegally stored BT Pushpa 5T hybrid cotton seeds, each priced at Rs1,500. The seeds were being transported without valid permission.
After the agriculture department confirmed the seeds were unauthorised, police registered a case against driver Imran Khan Nasir Khan (37), a resident of Chandrapur, and the owner of the consignment, Sumit Nagrale from Ashti in Gadchiroli district. An offence has been registered at Ballarpur police station.
Police believe the seeds were meant for illegal sale before the sowing season, which could have posed serious risks to both farmers and the environment.
The field action was led by inspectors Amol Kachore, Shyam Gawhane, PSI Deepak Kokendwar, and teams from the LCB Chandrapur and Ballarpur police station.
