Banned tobacco products worth Rs4 crores seized; 2 held

Thiruvananthapuram: Chirayinkeezhu police seized 277 sacks containing banned tobacco products worth Rs 4 crore and arrested two individuals during a raid conducted at a godown near Thettichira on Wednesday morning.The arrested persons were identified by the police as Shiju, 41, of Barkat Villa, Pallimukku near Alamcode, and Shambhu Mohan, 38, of Kurakada at Chirayinkeezhu.Police stated that the tobacco products were intended for supply to school students in and around the Attingal and Chirayinkeezhu areas. The accused conducted the illicit trade under the guise of a mineral water supply business.Police reported that the accused transported the products from Bengaluru in trucks. To avoid checking at borders, the tobacco was concealed under onion sacks, with rotten onion sacks placed on top to mask the smell.The accused were caught based on a tip-off received by rural SP Kiran Narayanan.They were remanded after being produced before a court on charges under section 77 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act-2015, section 118 (i) of the Kerala Police Act, and sections 6 (b) and 24 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act-2003.Attingal DSP Manjulal, Chirayinkeezhu SHO VS Vineesh, sub-inspector Mani, Dansaf sub-inspector B Dileep, ASI Rajeevan, and CPO Sunil Lookman were part of the team.
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