Hyderabad Police Arrest Three for Selling Fake Cotton Seeds
A joint operation by the Balanagar Special Operations Team (SOT) and Bachupally police led to the arrest of three men involved in selling fake cotton seeds. The gang was caught while transporting 700 kilograms of counterfeit BG-III cotton seeds, worth ₹17.5 lakh, on Tuesday.
The arrested individuals were identified as Aluru Madanna (54), a farmer from Ganjerla village in Kurnool, Adarsh (26), a lorry driver, and Golla Uday (23), a cleaner. Police investigations revealed that Madanna was the mastermind behind the scheme. He allegedly made the fake seeds by mixing dye with seeds obtained from a ginning mill in Gajendragad, Karnataka. These counterfeit seeds were then transported to Hyderabad and distributed through brokers.
During questioning, Madanna admitted that he had previously sold fake seeds to farmers in Jangaon with the help of brokers. Police have frozen his bank account and sent the seized seeds for testing.
Officials also confirmed that Madanna had committed similar crimes before. He was previously arrested by Yalal police in Vikarabad district for the same offence. With concerns growing over counterfeit seeds harming farmers’ livelihoods, authorities have intensified their efforts to stop such illegal activities. Investigations are still ongoing to identify other people involved in the operation.
