SAHIWAL, July 17: Agriculture Department officials with police raided a fertilizer shop in village 92/6-R and confiscated 176 bags of spurious DAP fertilizer. The bags were being sold to farmers for the last two weeks, Dawn learnt.

Chaudhry Agro Services, one of the biggest fertilizer shop on Gulistan Road, has its warehouse in Village 92/6-R. The Agriculture Department received a number of complaints from farmers that DAP bags bought from the shop were spurious. The department put the shop under surveillance. On Thursday, department officials along with Farid Town police raided the warehouse and seized 176 bogus bags of DAP fertilizer from there. Police arrested owner Anwar Shahzad and Muhammad Aleem. "The Agriculture Department, with the help of police, is investigating that where from such a huge supply of counterfeit fertilizer is coming in,” Muhammad Farooq, Sahiwal district agriculture officer, said. He said a first information report against the accused would be launched on Thursday night.