Masked men loot 120 bags of subsidised urea from sealed godown

In a brazen act, around 120 bags of subsidised agriculture-grade urea were allegedly looted by masked miscreants from a sealed godown in Tajakpur village, Yamunanagar. The miscreants reportedly overpowered a home guard deployed for security and a neighbouring factory’s guard, holding them hostage and assaulting one of them.

The godown, which had been sealed by the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department on May 8 after the discovery of 2,461 bags of subsidised urea stored illegally, had been handed over to police for safekeeping.

In a complaint to the police, Ankit Kumar, a home guard, said he was on duty at the godown on the night of May 19. “Around 12:30 am on May 20, about 15 masked men armed with wooden sticks and iron rods entered the premises. They held us hostage and beat me,” he said. Kumar added that the gang broke the lock and fled with 120 bags of urea, loading them into a tractor-trolley and a utility vehicle.

Based on his complaint, a case under Sections 121(1), 132, and 331(6) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered at Sadar Police Station, Yamunanagar.

Sources suggest that subsidised agriculture-grade urea — priced at Rs 266.50 per 45 kg bag — is being illegally used by some plywood manufacturers as an ingredient in glue. In contrast, technical-grade urea used in industrial applications costs between Rs 2,200 to Rs 2,400 per 50 kg bag, making the misuse of subsidised urea a profitable but illegal shortcut. Police are investigating the matter and efforts are on to identify the culprits.