423 Bags of PDS Rice Seized From Lorry on Rajamahendravaram's Gammon Bridge

A lorry loaded with rice meant for the Public Distribution System never completed its run into Rajamahendravaram on Saturday. Vigilance and revenue officials stopped the vehicle on the Gammon bridge and uncovered 21.15 tonnes of PDS rice — 423 bags in all — that officials say was being illegally transported from Vijayawada to Rajamahendravaram city.

The seizure, made on September 5, 2026, was confirmed in an official release by East Godavari District Joint Collector Y. Megha Swaroop.

Stopped mid-journey on the Gammon bridge

According to the district administration, the rice supplied through the PDS was being illegally transported from Vijayawada to Rajamahendravaram city when officials closed in. The lorry was seized on the Gammon bridge, its cargo still loaded.

Rice under the Public Distribution System is meant to move through official channels to ration shops, where eligible households access it at subsidised rates. Every bag diverted from that network is a bag that never reaches the families it was meant for — which is why officials treat this kind of movement as a serious offence rather than a routine logistics lapse.

Two arrested, case registered

The operation did not end with the seizure of the grain. Two men were taken into custody in connection with the consignment.

"We have seized 423 bags of PDS rice and arrested two persons identified as Penki Rambabu and driver Balaswamy. A case has been registered under Section 6A of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955"

Mr. Megha Swaroop said. Section 6A of the Act empowers authorities to confiscate essential commodities involved in violations, giving the case legal weight beyond a simple seizure.

Investigation handed to III Town police

The III town police have taken up the investigation. The probe is expected to establish where the consignment was ultimately headed and who was behind its movement out of Vijayawada.