Surat: The city crime branch apprehended five individuals on Tuesday for engaging in the illegal sale of subsidized urea, originally intended for agricultural purposes, to industrial units within the city.

The accused individuals include a transporter and office bearers of a cooperative society situated near Ahmedabad in Bareja. They have been identified as Himanshu Bhagatwala, Umesh Anajwala, Sandip Desai, Vikran Rana, and Yaubshah Diwan.

During a raid conducted on March 26, the police discovered 39 bags of urea, valued at Rs 11,544, at Bhagatwala’s industrial unit in Sachin, along with 541 empty urea bags. Anajwala, the transporter, had delivered the urea to Bhagatwala in Sachin instead of Bareja Seva Sahkari Mandali in Ahmedabad, while the Mandali’s employees recorded the delivery falsely.

The accused individuals have been charged under the Prevention of Black Marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act. DeshGujarat