Amritsar: Police seize truck with 600 bags of urea

The police have confiscated a truck carrying around 600 bags of urea fertiliser, amid its acute shortage.

The bags of urea which were released to a cooperative society in Bhittewad village, were allegedly being siphoned off and unloaded at a private godown.

However, the police got wind of it and a raid was immediately conducted at the spot in a joint operation with officials of the cooperative society.

Following preliminary investigations, the police have booked Davinder Singh, secretary of the cooperative society at Bhittewad village, on charges of cheating and criminal conspiracy. He was yet to be arrested.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dr Sheetal Singh said that the Vallah police received a tip-off that a truck bearing the registration number Punjab-02-BL-9877, carrying urea, was illegally unloading it at a private godown. The urea was meant to be transferred to the cooperative society in Bhittewad village for further distribution to farmers at subsidised rates.

He said police teams swung into action and recovered the truck which had unloaded around 64 bags weighing around 45 kg each at the private godown. When the police reached the spot, the accused Davinder Singh slipped away from the scene and the driver also escaped with the truck.

“Immediately, a PCR team chased the truck and intercepted it on Ram Tirath Road,” he said.

In the receipt produced by the truck driver, Davinder Singh has signed the documents for receiving the urea which clearly indicate his intention to siphon off the government fertiliser meant for farmers of Bhittewad village.

He said a notice has been issued and he was asked to join the investigations.

“The investigations would be carried out threadbare to bust the entire nexus of siphoning and smuggling of urea which is distributed to the farmers at subsidised rates,” he said.