Coimbatore Fertiliser Shop Owner Booked Under Goondas Act for Smuggling Subsidised Urea to Kerala

Coimbatore: Coimbatore District Collector Pawan Kumar Giriyappanar has ordered the arrest of fertiliser shop owner Ganeshamoorthy under the Goondas Act for repeatedly smuggling government-subsidised Bharat Urea fertiliser bags to Kerala for illegal profit, in a manner that undermined a central government scheme meant for farmers.

The detention order was served to Ganeshamoorthy on September 14, 2026, while he was already in judicial custody at Coimbatore Central Prison. The Collector has also warned that anyone found smuggling subsidised Bharat Urea fertiliser meant for farmers, regardless of who they are, will face action under the Goondas Act.

The case originated on August 28, 2026, at around 6:30 am, when agricultural officer Naga Subramaniam and his team, acting on the orders of Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Criminal Investigation Department chief Rupeshkumar Meena, IPS, and on the advisory of R Srinivasa Perumal, Inspector General of Police, Madurai zone, who is also in charge of the Coimbatore zone, and under the supervision of Coimbatore range Deputy Superintendent of Police S Mariamuthu, conducted a vehicle check near the Madukkarai RTO checkpost on the Coimbatore to Palakkad Road.

During the check, the team intercepted an Ashok Leyland Tarrus lorry bearing registration number TN 32 AH 9612 carrying about 25 tonnes of Bharat Urea fertiliser bags. The fertiliser had been loaded from a Bharat Urea shop run by Ganeshamoorthy and his brother Senthilkumaran, both from Vadalur in Cuddalore district, near the Virudhachalam tollgate on the Cuddalore to Virudhachalam Main Road.

The lorry was being driven by Manikandan, son of Ayyanar, from the Maligai Medu area in Pandruti, Cuddalore, with Poonkavanam, son of Arumugam, from Lakshmi Narayanapuram, NGK Nagar, Cuddalore, as cleaner. The fertiliser was being transported with the help of Bharat Urea broker Thanabal from Pollachi, and with assistance from Mohammed Basil from Alappara, Ernakulam, Kerala, for sale through a manager identified as Bain at Perumbavur Plywood Manufacturers Consortium Pvt Ltd, Sidco Industrial Park, Angamali, Kerala.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered at Pollachi CSCID unit under number 283/2026. Manikandan and Poonkavanam were arrested on August 28, 2026, while fertiliser traders Ganeshamoorthy and Senthilkumaran, along with Mohammed Basil, were arrested the following day, August 29, 2026, and all were remanded to judicial custody.

Investigations found that Ganeshamoorthy had continued selling Bharat Urea fertiliser bags, which are supplied by the central government to farmers at subsidised prices, to Perumbavur Plywood Manufacturers Consortium Pvt Ltd in Kerala for high profit, persisting in activity that damaged the government scheme. Based on this, Pollachi Civil Supplies Criminal Investigation Department Inspector L Muralidharan recommended that action be taken against Ganeshamoorthy under the Goondas Act to curb his activities.