Gujarat: Man held with 100 kg Celphos in Himmatnagar

(Representational Image)

Police and administrative officials arrested a man from Himmatnagar in Sabarkantha and allegedly recovered 100 kilograms of Aluminium Phosphide, also known as Celphos, which the accused used to sell without licence in the market.

According to police, the accused has been identified as Sajid Hussain Rahimuri, a resident of Himmatnagar, who used to sell Celphos with 56 per cent concentration of Aluminium Phosphide content, to farmers in Gandhinagar and Sabarkantha. Celphos is an extremely toxic fumigant sold in Indian markets, usually for pest control. However, over the years, its usage is under scrutiny by officials due to several cases of suicide by consumption of Celphos, as a fatal dose for humans is somewhere between 0.15 gm to 0.50 gm.

Farmers in North India have used this product for pest control in their farmlands and godowns. Its public sale is banned in the country and only Food Corporation of India (FCI) or licensed procurement agencies can use Celphos tablets.

Story continues below this ad

Police said that the accused was trapped by members of the Food and Drug Safety Department, when they posed as buyers.

“The officials claimed that they are buyers interested in at least 80 kg of Celphos. The accused was then nabbed on Saturday evening from his residence, where he had stored at least 100 kg of Celphos. In interrogation, he said that he used to sell the banned substance in black markets of Gandhinagar and Sabarkan-tha,” said a police officer at Himmatnagar.