1,500 kg banned tobacco products seized in Palladam, four held

Tiruppur Tiruppur District Police on Thursday seized banned tobacco products weighing 1,500 kg from

Tiruppur District Police on Thursday seized banned tobacco products weighing 1,500 kg from a private godown in Palladam and arrested four persons in connection with smuggling the contraband.

Based on a tip-off, a special team led by Inspector of Palladam Police Station R. Gopalakrishnan conducted a search at a godown belonging to Muthukumar (40) at Pannaikattuthottam on Thursday. During the search, the police team found banned tobacco products stocked inside the godown.

After seizing the contraband weighing nearly 1.5 tonnes, the police nabbed Muthukumar, Udhayakumar (41), Ayyappanmoorthi (39) and Sivaperumal (19). As per preliminary investigations, the banned tobacco products were allegedly smuggled from Karnataka by Udhayakumar, Ayyappanmoorthy, Sivaperumal and a person named Kumar. These four were natives of Thoothukudi district and they stored the tobacco products in the private godown in Palladam with the connivance of Muthukumar, according to the police.

The Palladam police booked the four accused under sections of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) and remanded them in judicial custody late on Thursday. Efforts are under way to locate Kumar, who is at large.