Rice stocks at a milling facility amid a CID investigation into alleged irregularities in the supply of common variety rice as Grade A rice to the Food Corporation of India. (Representational image)

The Crime Investigation Department of the state police conducted raids on rice mills in Nizamabad district on Sunday and took four rice mill owners into custody.

The CID probe followed instances of supply of common variety rice on the pretext of Grade A variety to the Food Corporation of India. The officials found that six rice millers in Nizamabad district committed such irregularities.

Amid the CID raids, two rice millers escaped from Nizamabad. CID DSP Nageshwar Rao and his team conducted the raids and made the arrests. A-74-year-old rice miller among the accused told the officials that he had recently undergone a treatment for heart problems and pleaded that he be not sent to judicial remand. GGH doctors also certified that Anjaiah was not fit for remand on health grounds. CID took into custody four rice millers and began searching for another two absconding millers.

Rice millers association leaders remained mum on the CID action. The mobile phones of the leaders remained switched off.

Reportedly, a few rice millers brought a common variety of paddy from Nellore and other districts in AP and supplied it as Grade A variety rice to the FCI. Subsequently, the state government was alerted about high- level irregularities in custom milling of rice (CMR) in undivided Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Warangal districts.

The detained rice millers were shifted to the CID headquarters in Sangareddy on Sunday.

Notably, the vigilance and enforcement department is kept away from the investigations related to rice mill irregularities in various districts.

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