Hyderabad: A bizarre YouTube-inspired scam has landed three men behind bars in Telangana’s Suryapet district, where police busted a fake seed racket that duped local farmers with counterfeit cotton seeds.
The operation came to light after police raided the farmland of Singarapu Yadagiriswamy, a native of Thirumalagiri mandal, who had started making fake cotton seeds after suffering poor yields himself. Disappointed with his harvest, he turned to YouTube tutorials, learnt the process of extracting seeds from raw cotton, and bought a seed processing machine.
What followed was a full-fledged racket. Yadagiriswamy partnered with Naveen from Nandapuram and Somanarayana from Chittaguduru, promising them cheap “Bt” cotton seeds they could resell at higher prices in the open market. He started small, selling 10 kg of fake cotton seeds at ₹1,500 per kg. The buyers flipped the counterfeit product to unsuspecting farmers at inflated prices, and the money started flowing in.
Encouraged by the easy profits, they came back for more. This time, Yadagiriswamy handed over a much larger batch—90 kg. But the scheme didn’t stay under wraps for long. Agricultural authorities got wind of the operation and tipped off the Suryapet police.
A swift raid by CCS officers followed, uncovering 308 kg of bogus seeds at Yadagiriswamy’s premises. Also seized: seed processing equipment, synthetic dyes, 15 cans of sulphuric acid, and three drums of raw materials—enough to signal a full-fledged counterfeit operation.
After his arrest, Yadagiriswamy reportedly gave up the names of his two accomplices, who were soon taken into custody. Officials estimate the seized stock to be worth around ₹4.62 lakh.
Addressing the media, Suryapet SP Narasimha warned that stringent action, including charges under the PD Act, would be taken against anyone selling fake seeds. He urged farmers not to go for low-cost offers.
The SP also lauded the swift work of CCS CI Shiv Kumar, SI Harikrishna, ASI Venkanna, and their team for cracking the case.
