TIRUCHY: Thanjavur Civil Supplies CID police on Friday arrested three persons including a flour mill owner who had smuggled rice from the Public Distribution System (PDS).

While the Civil Supplies CID police were patrolling at Thiruvidaimaruthur area on Saturday early hours, they found a few persons loading heavy loads of rice in an auto rickshaw and a two-wheeler in a suspicious manner.

The team secured the auto driver Kannadasan (33) from Sooriyanar Koil and another person Subash (33), a lorry from Thirubuvanam and took them to the police station and conducted an elaborate interrogation in which the police found that Mohammed Faizal (23) from Avaniyapuiram who runs an idli batter wholesale unit, was purchasing the PDS rice and was diverting them for making idli batter in connivance with Kannadasan and Subash.

Subsequently, the police arrested Mohammed Faizal, Kannadasan and Subash and seized as many as 18 bags of ration rice each weighing 50 kg.

The police also seized the auto and the two-wheeler used for smuggling the rice.

Police who registered a case have commenced an inquiry with the sales persons of certain PDS outlets.

Police are looking at whether a larger network is operating in the diversion of ration rice.