AP rice trader held in cheating case

Berhampur: The Odisha police on Sunday arrested a 47-year-old rice trader from Andhra Pradesh for allegedly cheating a rice mill owner of Rs 77 lakh in Ganjam district about five years ago, an officer said. The accused, a resident of Tanuku in Andhra Pradesh’s West Godavari district, was arrested near Girisola on the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border.

The trader allegedly purchased rice worth Rs 77 lakh from the rice mill owner of Pitatali in Ganjam district around five years ago and did not pay the money. Acting on a tip-off, the police conducted raids on the border area and arrested the accused, Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M said.

According to the police, two persons from Andhra Pradesh, including the accused, had approached the proprietor of the rice mill at Pitatali, a village on Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border, about five years ago to purchase rice from the mill. They also assured the proprietor that they would procure the rice from the mill regularly. They had also purchased the rice for some days by paying the money instantly.

Thereafter, they purchased rice worth Rs 77.26 lakh from the mill on credit by assuring its proprietor to pay the money soon. They, however, did not pay the money, the police said after a preliminary inquiry.

The proprietor of the mill had lodged an FIR at Golanthara police station against the accused persons on November 6 last year. The police have seized all the documents relating to the supply of rice to the accused persons, from time to time, the inspector-in-charge of the Golanthara police station, Bibekanand Swain, said.

He said they have also identified the second person involved in the cheating case.

Search was on to nab him, he added.