Kakinada : Income Tax (IT) officials conducted raids on Satyam Balaji Rice Company in Kakinada in the early hours of Wednesday. The officials also searched the residence of the company’s manager, Ashok. A three-member team led the inspections. The company came under scrutiny after it was found to have loaded the seized ration rice onto the Stella L Panama ship at Kakinada port. A case was registered against the firm in connection with this illegal activity. Satyam Balaji Rice Company exports millions of tonnes of rice annually from Kakinada to African countries.
As part of the raids, IT teams searched three major warehouses belonging to the company in Kakinada, where large quantities of rice were stored. Reports suggest that the company is registered in Chhattisgarh and transports rice from there to Kakinada for export. The newly elected coalition government in Andhra Pradesh has intensified its crackdown on illegal transportation of ration rice.
Meanwhile, the company owner is reportedly in Chhattisgarh, and a team of officials is expected to question him there. In November 2024, authorities detected the illegal transportation of ration rice on the Stella ship. Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan inspected this and ordered officials to seize the vessel. Consequently, the ship remained anchored off the Kakinada coast for nearly 55 days. Of the 32,415 tonnes of cargo onboard, 1,320 metric tonnes of ration rice were traced back to Satyam Balaji Rice Company. Officials unloaded the seized rice and shifted it to warehouses.
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Source : The Hans India
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