With the Telangana government resolving to clampdown on the sale of spurious seeds, the state police have intensified their crackdown on the retailers and dealers, registering 87 cases against 137 retailers over the past five months.

Police officials said that since 2014, when Telangana state was formed, 602 cases have been filed, and provisions of the PD Act invoked against 27 persons.

While sale of spurious seeds has been significantly controlled through joint action by agriculture and police departments, some pockets are still facing the problem from neighbouring states, the officials said.

However, following directions of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao after a high-level meeting held recently, task forces were formed at state, district and mandal levels to tackle the menace. More than 824 quintals of fake seeds have been confiscated and cases filed against the accused.