Vitla police bust fertiliser diversion racket; 642 urea bags seized, one arrested

Mangalore Today News Network

Bantwal, Jun 12, 2026: Vitla police have busted a state-level organised network allegedly involved in the illegal diversion and sale of subsidised urea fertiliser meant for farmers. The operation, led by Vitla Police Inspector Prakash Devadiga, resulted in the arrest of one person and the seizure of 642 bags of fertiliser along with a truck used for transportation.

The arrested accused has been identified as Mohammed Ashraf (40), a resident near Khandiga Government School in Kolnadu village of Bantwal taluk. According to the police, he had allegedly been storing subsidised urea fertiliser illegally at his residence and was involved in its unauthorised sale.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the racket had allegedly procured subsidised urea supplied by the Central government to farmers through various agricultural credit cooperative societies by using the names of benami farmers. The fertiliser was then reportedly removed from the official yellow bags bearing government markings and repackaged into 50-kg white sacks labelled as "technical grade."

Police suspect that the repackaged fertiliser was being illegally transported to plywood factories in Kerala and sold at higher prices for industrial use.

During the raid, police seized 342 bags of 50 kg urea that had been illegally stocked at the accused’s premises. In addition, 300 bags of urea being transported in a truck were also confiscated. Investigators found that these bags had allegedly been purchased from Tumakuru and Hassan districts at the rate of Rs 300 per bag.

In total, 642 bags of fertiliser and a Tata truck bearing registration number KA-11-A-6017, allegedly used for transporting the fertiliser, were seized during the operation.

Following the raid, Bantwal Agriculture Officer Nandan Shenoy, Assistant Director Veena, District Vigilance Officer Nagaveni, Kolnadu Village Administrative Officer Karibasappa, and police personnel Vinay Kumar, Gadigeppa, Mayappa and Sabu Mirji visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Vitla police have registered a case and further investigation is underway.