Thane: Warehouse owner booked for illegally storing urea, cops seize 1,786 bags

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An offence has been registered against the owner of a warehouse in Maharashtra's Thane district for allegedly illegally storing neem-coated urea, the police said on Friday.

Acting on a tip-off, the police had raided the warehouse in Purna village of Bhiwandi last month and seized 1,786 bags of neem-coated urea stored there illegally, senior inspector Madan Ballal of the Narpoli police station said.

By storing urea without due permit, the owner of the warehouse had cheated the government and farmers, he said.

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The seized stock worth Rs 16.96 lakh was sent for testing to a laboratory in Nashik and after the report was released on Thursday, the case was registered, he said.

An offence under section 420 (cheating) of the IPC and relevant provisions of the Fertiliser Control Act and Essential Commodities Act has been registered, the official said, adding that no arrest has been made in this regard.

According to an official from the agricultural department, neem-coated urea is supplied to farmers at subsidised prices and one needs a permit from the authorities to store, distribute and sell it.

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