TIRUCHY: The flying squad seized 5.5 tons of PDS rice smuggled to a poultry farm and arrested two persons who were involved in the offence in Thanjavur on Tuesday. A flying squad led by the Cooperative Society Sub Registrar Kavitha was conducting a vehicle checkup at Pulavankadu near Orathanadu in Thanjavur, and the team stopped a loaded vehicle that was proceeding at a high speed and found that the crew was smuggling 5,580 kg PDS rice.

Upon inquiry, they said that they were transporting the rice to a poultry farm at Kondikulam near Pattukkottai. Subsequently, the team arrested the driver Venkatesh (26) from Thanjavur and Sathish Kumar (29) from Keezha Vasal in Thanjavur. They told the team that one Maruthupandi from Keezha Vasal loaded the rice and asked them to transport it. Subsequently, they were handed over to the Civil Supplies CID police who registered a case and are investigating. A search is on for Maruthupandi.